Interhemispheric Interactions of the Human Thalamic Reticular Nucleus

Schneider, Keith A.

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2623-14.2015

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…We contend that the filtering ability of the distributed attentional network that includes the pulvinar is intimately related to a connectivity profile where same-selectivity populations excite each other, while opposite-selectivity populations inhibit each other. Particularly in the context of spatial tasks where distractors are located opposite to the target with respect to the meridian, we suggest that interhemispheric competition and inhibition (Szczepanski and Kastner, 2013;Palmer et al, 2012), possibly mediated by the TRN (Viviano and Schneider, 2015), are essential. We predict that compromising these projections through thalamic or TRN lesions are potential sources of the distractor-filtering deficits and hemispatial neglect that are commonly observed in subjects or patients with this type of damage.…”

Section: Pulvinar and Attentional Modulation And Deploymentmentioning

confidence: 88%

Engagement of pulvino-cortical feedforward and feedback pathways in cognitive computations

Jaramillo

Mejías

Wang

2018

Preprint

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Computational modeling of brain mechanisms of cognition has been largely focused on the cortex, but recent experiments have shown that higher-order nuclei of the thalamus, in particular the pulvinar, participate in major cognitive functions and are implicated in psychiatric disorders. Here we show that a pulvino-cortical circuit model, composed of two cortical areas and the pulvinar, captures a range of physiological and behavioral observations related to the macaque pulvinar. Effective connections between the two cortical areas are gated by the pulvinar, allowing the pulvinar to shift the operation regime of these areas during attentional processing and working memory, as well as to resolve decision-making conflict. Furthermore, cortico-pulvinar projections that engage the thalamic reticular nucleus enable the pulvinar to estimate decision-making confidence. Finally, feedforward and feedback pulvino-cortical pathways participate in frequency-dependent inter-areal interactions that modify the relative hierarchical positions of cortical areas. Overall, our model suggests that the pulvinar provides crucial contextual modulation to cortical computations associated with cognition.

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Section: Pulvinar and Attentional Modulation And Deploymentmentioning

confidence: 88%

Engagement of pulvino-cortical feedforward and feedback pathways in cognitive computations

Jaramillo

Mejías

Wang

2018

Preprint

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“…In addition, the authors indicated that prefrontal cortices interact with this thalamic-hippocampal system, engaging in efficient encoding strategies that may aid subsequent recollection (Aggleton & Brown, 1999). With respect to the functional connectivity to the dorsal margin of the thalamus, albeit speculative, one may assume that this thalamic region represents the thalamic reticular nucleus (Viviano and Schneider, 2015;Zikopoulos and Barbas, 2006;Jones, 1985), a layer of GABAergic cells wrapping the dorsolateral segments of the thalamus (Jones, 1985;Zikopoulos and Barbas, 2006). GABAergic neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus modulate both corticothalamic and thalamocortical communications (Slotnick, Moo, Kraut, Lesser, & Hart, 2002;Lozs adi, 1995;Steriade, Contreras, Curr o Dossi, & Nuñez, 1993;Jones, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The increase in medial prefrontal glutamate/glutamine concentration during memory encoding is associated with better memory performance and stronger functional connectivity in the human medial prefrontal–thalamus–hippocampus network

Thielen

Hong

Rankouhi

et al. 2018

Human Brain Mapping

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The classical model of the declarative memory system describes the hippocampus and its interactions with representational brain areas in posterior neocortex as being essential for the formation of long‐term episodic memories. However, new evidence suggests an extension of this classical model by assigning the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) a specific, yet not fully defined role in episodic memory. In this study, we utilized 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis to lend further support for the idea of a mnemonic role of the mPFC in humans. By using MRS, we measured mPFC γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate/glutamine (GLx) concentrations before and after volunteers memorized face–name association. We demonstrate that mPFC GLx but not GABA levels increased during the memory task, which appeared to be related to memory performance. Regarding functional connectivity, we used the subsequent memory paradigm and found that the GLx increase was associated with stronger mPFC connectivity to thalamus and hippocampus for associations subsequently recognized with high confidence as opposed to subsequently recognized with low confidence/forgotten. Taken together, we provide new evidence for an mPFC involvement in episodic memory by showing a memory‐related increase in mPFC excitatory neurotransmitter levels that was associated with better memory and stronger memory‐related functional connectivity in a medial prefrontal–thalamus–hippocampus network.

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“…For this reason, it would be useful to develop waking assays of TRN function to serve as more accessible surrogate markers of spindle activity. TRN activity has seldom been examined in vivo in humans as its size and location make it difficult to identify with neuroimaging (145). Animal models can illuminate the contribution of the TRN to waking cognition and its role in development.…”

Section: Genetic Mechanisms Of Sleep Spindlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced Sleep Spindles in Schizophrenia: A Treatable Endophenotype That Links Risk Genes to Impaired Cognition?

Manoach

Pan

Purcell

et al. 2016

Biological Psychiatry

190

155

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Although schizophrenia is defined by waking phenomena, abnormal sleep is a common feature. In particular, there is accumulating evidence of a sleep spindle deficit. Sleep spindles, a defining thalamocortical oscillation of non-rapid eye movement Stage 2 sleep, correlate with IQ and are thought to promote long-term potentiation and enhance memory consolidation. Here we review evidence that reduced spindle activity in schizophrenia is an endophenotype that impairs sleep-dependent memory consolidation, contributes to symptoms and is a novel treatment biomarker. Studies showing that spindles can be pharmacologically enhanced in schizophrenia and that increasing spindles improves memory in healthy individuals suggest that treating spindle deficits in schizophrenia may improve cognition. Spindle activity is highly heritable and recent large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified schizophrenia risk genes that may contribute to spindle deficits and illuminate their mechanisms. For example, the schizophrenia risk gene CACNA1I encodes a calcium channel that is abundantly expressed in the thalamic spindle generator and plays a critical role in spindle activity in a mouse knockout. Future genetic studies of animals and humans can delineate the role of this and other genes in spindles. Such cross-disciplinary research, by forging empirical links in causal chains from risk genes to proteins and cellular functions, through to endophenotypes, cognitive impairments, symptoms and diagnosis, has the potential to advance the mechanistic understanding, treatment and prevention of schizophrenia. This review highlights the importance of deficient sleep-dependent memory consolidation among the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia and implicates reduced sleep spindles as a potentially treatable mechanism.

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Interhemispheric Interactions of the Human Thalamic Reticular Nucleus

Cited by 20 publications

References 38 publications

Engagement of pulvino-cortical feedforward and feedback pathways in cognitive computations

Engagement of pulvino-cortical feedforward and feedback pathways in cognitive computations

The increase in medial prefrontal glutamate/glutamine concentration during memory encoding is associated with better memory performance and stronger functional connectivity in the human medial prefrontal–thalamus–hippocampus network

Reduced Sleep Spindles in Schizophrenia: A Treatable Endophenotype That Links Risk Genes to Impaired Cognition?

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