Cognitive Modulation of Thalamic Function

Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Even though we have known for decades that the thalamus is the "gateway" to the cortex, its functional relationship to cortex is still poorly understood. In thalamic sensory relay nuclei such as the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), sensory signals arriving from the retina are modified very little. Nevertheless, it is clear that the LGN must do more than simply relay sensory signals since it receives numerous extra-retinal inputs that together far out-number, in terms of synapses, retinal input. The LGN also contains a complex set of circuits involving inhibitory interneurons. Based upon these and other findings described within the proposal, as well as our own preliminary data, we hypothesize that LGN neurons are part of a dynamic network which carries information relevant not only to sensory quality, but also to behavioral state including signals related to visual attention, task relevance, and eye movements. We will test this hypothesis in two specific aims designed to examine how information is regulated at the level of the LGN using standard electrophysiological techniques in awake behaving macaque monkeys.