Branched thalamic afferents: what are the messages that they relay to the cortex?

Specific connectivity optimizes learning in thalamocortical loops

Thalamocortical loops have a central role in cognition and motor control, but precisely how they contribute to these processes is unclear. Recent studies showing evidence of plasticity in thalamocortical synapses indicate a role for the thalamus in shaping cortical dynamics through learning. Since signals undergo a compression from the cortex to the thalamus, we hypothesized that the computational role of the thalamus depends critically on the structure of corticothalamic connectivity. To test this, we identified the optimal corticothalamic structure that promotes biologically plausible learning in thalamocortical synapses. We found that corticothalamic projections specialized to communicate an efference copy of the cortical output benefit motor control, while communicating the modes of highest variance is optimal for working memory tasks. We analyzed neural recordings from mice performing grasping and delayed discrimination tasks and found corticothalamic communication consistent with these predictions. These results suggest that the thalamus orchestrates cortical dynamics in a functionally precise manner through structured connectivity.

Functional dysconnectivity and microstructural impairment of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A multimodal MRI study

Background

Cognitive deficits are common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the effective connectivity and structural alterations of the core brain regions in RA patients with cognitive impairment.

Methods

Twenty-four female patients with RA and twenty-four healthy controls were enrolled. We analyzed abnormal brain activity patterns using functional MRI during the Iowa gambling task (IGT) and core regions effective connectivity using dynamic causal model (DCM). Structural alterations of white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) were detected using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Results

RA patients showed altered activation patterns of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, increased coupling strength from the left ventromedial prefrontal gyrus to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the ACC to the right thalamus, and decreased connectivity from the thalamus to left hippocampus. VBM structural analysis showed increased GMV in the bilateral orbital frontal gyrus, bilateral hippocampus and right putamen, and reduced GMV and WMV in the bilateral thalamus in RA patients. Right thalamic GMV and WMV were positively correlated with the right thalamus-to-hippocampus connective strength. Additionally, the bold signal, GMV and WMV of the right thalamus were positively correlated with cognitive performance (IGT score) in RA patients.

Conclusion

Results suggest a structural and functional deficiency in the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, which is characterized by increased ACC-to-thalamus strength and reduced thalamus-to-hippocampus coupling in RA patients. The cognitive dysfunction may be the result of compensatory measures against imbalanced cortico-thalamic-cortical coupling.

A non-canonical striatopallidal Go pathway that supports motor control

In the classical model of the basal ganglia, direct pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs) send projections to the substantia nigra (SNr) and entopeduncular nucleus to regulate motor function. Recent studies have re-established that dSPNs also possess axon collaterals within the globus pallidus (GPe) (bridging collaterals), yet the significance of these collaterals for behavior is unknown. Here we use in vivo optical and chemogenetic tools combined with deep learning approaches in mice to dissect the roles of dSPN GPe collaterals in motor function. We find that dSPNs projecting to the SNr send synchronous motor-related information to the GPe via axon collaterals. Inhibition of native activity in dSPN GPe terminals impairs motor activity and function via regulation of Npas1 neurons. We propose a model by which dSPN GPe axon collaterals (striatopallidal Go pathway) act in concert with the canonical terminals in the SNr to support motor control by inhibiting Npas1 neurons.

A non-canonical striatopallidal "Go" pathway that supports motor control

In the classical model of the basal ganglia, direct pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs) send projections to the substantia nigra (SNr) and entopeduncular nucleus to regulate motor function. Recent studies have re-established that dSPNs also possess "bridging" collaterals within the globus pallidus (GPe), yet the significance of these collaterals for behavior is unknown. Here we use in vivo optical and chemogenetic tools combined with deep learning approaches to dissect the roles of bridging collaterals in motor function. We find that dSPNs projecting to the SNr send synchronous motor-related information to the GPe via axon collaterals. Inhibition of native activity in dSPN GPe terminals impairs motor activity and function via regulation of pallidostriatal Npas1 neurons. We propose a model by which dSPN GPe collaterals ("striatopallidal Go pathway") act in concert with the canonical terminals in the SNr to support motor control by inhibiting Npas1 signals going back to the striatum.

Region-selective control of the thalamic reticular nucleus via cortical layer 5 pyramidal cells

Corticothalamic pathways, responsible for the top-down control of the thalamus, have a canonical organization such that every cortical region sends output from both layer 6 (L6) and layer 5 (L5) to the thalamus. Here we demonstrate a qualitative, region-specific difference in the organization of mouse corticothalamic pathways. Specifically, L5 pyramidal cells of the frontal cortex, but not other cortical regions, establish monosynaptic connections with the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). The frontal L5-TRN pathway parallels the L6-TRN projection but has distinct morphological and physiological features. The exact spike output of the L5-contacted TRN cells correlated with the level of cortical synchrony. Optogenetic perturbation of the L5-TRN connection disrupted the tight link between cortical and TRN activity. L5-driven TRN cells innervated thalamic nuclei involved in the control of frontal cortex activity. Our data show that frontal cortex functions require a highly specialized cortical control over intrathalamic inhibitory processes.

Cortical-subcortical interactions in goal-directed behavior

Flexibly selecting appropriate actions in response to complex, ever-changing environments requires both cortical and subcortical regions, which are typically described as participating in a strict hierarchy. In this traditional view, highly specialized subcortical circuits allow for efficient responses to salient stimuli, at the cost of adaptability and context specificity, which are attributed to the neocortex. Their interactions are often described as the cortex providing top-down command signals for subcortical structures to implement; however, as available technologies develop, studies increasingly demonstrate that behavior is represented by brainwide activity and that even subcortical structures contain early signals of choice, suggesting that behavioral functions emerge as a result of different regions interacting as truly collaborative networks. In this review, we discuss the field's evolving understanding of how cortical and subcortical regions in placental mammals interact cooperatively, not only via top-down cortical-subcortical inputs but through bottom-up interactions, especially via the thalamus. We describe our current understanding of the circuitry of both the cortex and two exemplar subcortical structures, the superior colliculus and striatum, to identify which information is prioritized by which regions. We then describe the functional circuits these regions form with one another, and the thalamus, to create parallel loops and complex networks for brainwide information flow. Finally, we challenge the classic view that functional modules are contained within specific brain regions; instead, we propose that certain regions prioritize specific types of information over others, but the subnetworks they form, defined by their anatomical connections and functional dynamics, are the basis of true specialization.

Distinguishing externally from saccade-induced motion in visual cortex

Distinguishing sensory stimuli caused by changes in the environment from those caused by an animal’s own actions is a hallmark of sensory processing¹. Saccades are rapid eye movements that shift the image on the retina. How visual systems differentiate motion of the image induced by saccades from actual motion in the environment is not fully understood². Here we discovered that in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) the two types of motion evoke distinct activity patterns. This is because, during saccades, V1 combines the visual input with a strong non-visual input arriving from the thalamic pulvinar nucleus. The non-visual input triggers responses that are specific to the direction of the saccade and the visual input triggers responses that are specific to the direction of the shift of the stimulus on the retina, yet the preferred directions of these two responses are uncorrelated. Thus, the pulvinar input ensures differential V1 responses to external and self-generated motion. Integration of external sensory information with information about body movement may be a general mechanism for sensory cortices to distinguish between self-generated and external stimuli.

Distinct activity patterns in the primary visual cortex distinguish movement in the environment from motion caused by eye movements.

Mediodorsal Thalamus Is Critical for Updating during Extradimensional Shifts But Not Reversals in the Attentional Set-Shifting Task

Cognitive flexibility, attributed to frontal cortex, is vital for navigating the complexities of everyday life. The mediodorsal thalamus (MD), interconnected to frontal cortex, may influence cognitive flexibility. Here, male rats performed an attentional set-shifting task measuring intradimensional (ID) and extradimensional (ED) shifts in sensory discriminations. MD lesion rats needed more trials to learn the rewarded sensory dimension. However, once the choice response strategy was established, learning further two-choice discriminations in the same sensory dimension, and reversals of the reward contingencies in the same dimension, were unimpaired. Critically though, MD lesion rats were impaired during the ED shift, when they must rapidly update the optimal choice response strategy. Behavioral analyses showed MD lesion rats had significantly reduced correct within-trial second choice responses. This evidence shows that transfer of information via the MD is critical when rapid within-trial updates in established choice response strategies are required after a rule change.

Circuit mechanisms for cortical plasticity and learning

The cerebral cortex integrates sensory information with emotional states and internal representations to produce coherent percepts, form associations, and execute voluntary actions. For the cortex to optimize perception, its neuronal network needs to dynamically retrieve and encode new information. Over the last few decades, research has started to provide insight into how the cortex serves these functions. Building on classical Hebbian plasticity models, the latest hypotheses hold that throughout experience and learning, streams of feedforward, feedback, and modulatory information operate in selective and coordinated manners to alter the strength of synapses and ultimately change the response properties of cortical neurons. Here, we describe cortical plasticity mechanisms that involve the concerted action of feedforward and long-range feedback input onto pyramidal neurons as well as the implication of local disinhibitory circuit motifs in this process.

Rethinking Stereotypies in Autism

Stereotyped movements ("stereotypies") are semi-voluntary repetitive movements that are a prominent clinical feature of autism spectrum disorder. They are described in first-person accounts by people with autism as relaxing and that they help focus the mind and cope in overwhelming sensory environments. Therefore, we generally recommend against techniques that aim to suppress stereotypies in individuals with autism. Further, we hypothesize that understanding the neurobiology of stereotypies could guide development of treatments to produce the benefits of stereotypies without the need to generate repetitive motor movements. Here, we link first-person reports and clinical findings with basic neuroanatomy and physiology to produce a testable model of stereotypies. We hypothesize that stereotypies improve sensory processing and attention by regulating brain rhythms, either directly from the rhythmic motor command, or via rhythmic sensory feedback generated by the movements.

Attenuation of Native Hyperpolarization-Activated, Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel Function by the Volatile Anesthetic Sevoflurane in Mouse Thalamocortical Relay Neurons

As thalamocortical relay neurons are ascribed a crucial role in signal propagation and information processing, they have attracted considerable attention as potential targets for anesthetic modulation. In this study, we analyzed the effects of different concentrations of sevoflurane on the excitability of thalamocortical relay neurons and hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic-nucleotide gated (HCN) channels, which play a decisive role in regulating membrane properties and rhythmic oscillatory activity. The effects of sevoflurane on single-cell excitability and native HCN channels were investigated in acutely prepared brain slices from adult wild-type mice with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, using voltage-clamp and current-clamp protocols. Sevoflurane dose-dependently depressed membrane biophysics and HCN-mediated parameters of neuronal excitability. Respective half-maximal inhibitory and effective concentrations ranged between 0.30 (95% CI, 0.18–0.50) mM and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.40–2.20) mM. We witnessed a pronounced reduction of HCN dependent I_h current amplitude starting at a concentration of 0.45 mM [relative change at −133 mV; 0.45 mM sevoflurane: 0.85 (interquartile range, 0.79–0.92), n = 12, p = 0.011; 1.47 mM sevoflurane: 0.37 (interquartile range, 0.34–0.62), n = 5, p < 0.001] with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.40–2.20) mM. In contrast, effects on voltage-dependent channel gating were modest with significant changes only occurring at 1.47 mM [absolute change of half-maximal activation potential; 1.47 mM: −7.2 (interquartile range, −10.3 to −5.8) mV, n = 5, p = 0.020]. In this study, we demonstrate that sevoflurane inhibits the excitability of thalamocortical relay neurons in a concentration-dependent manner within a clinically relevant range. Especially concerning its effects on native HCN channel function, our findings indicate substance-specific differences in comparison to other anesthetic agents. Considering the importance of HCN channels, the observed effects might mechanistically contribute to the hypnotic properties of sevoflurane.

Understanding the Effects of General Anesthetics on Cortical Network Activity Using Ex Vivo Preparations

General anesthetics have been used to ablate consciousness during surgery for more than 150 yr. Despite significant advances in our understanding of their molecular-level pharmacologic effects, comparatively little is known about how anesthetics alter brain dynamics to cause unconsciousness. Consequently, while anesthesia practice is now routine and safe, there are many vagaries that remain unexplained. In this paper, the authors review the evidence that cortical network activity is particularly sensitive to general anesthetics, and suggest that disruption to communication in, and/or among, cortical brain regions is a common mechanism of anesthesia that ultimately produces loss of consciousness. The authors review data from acute brain slices and organotypic cultures showing that anesthetics with differing molecular mechanisms of action share in common the ability to impair neurophysiologic communication. While many questions remain, together, ex vivo and in vivo investigations suggest that a unified understanding of both clinical anesthesia and the neural basis of consciousness is attainable.

Schizophrenia and Corollary Discharge: A Neuroscientific Overview and Translational Implications

Corollary discharge mechanism refers to the suppression of sensory consequences of self-generated actions; a process that serves to distinguish between self and non-self based on discrimination of origination of action. It explains, say for example, why we cannot tickle ourselves. This review discusses how corollary discharge model is an essential neural integration mechanism central to the motor functioning of animal kingdom. In this article, research conducted in the field of corollary discharge has been reviewed to understand the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological basis of corollary discharge and gain insight into the biochemical basis of its dysfunction. This review article also explores the role of corollary discharge and its dysfunction in the presentation of symptoms of schizophrenia, discussing the findings from corollary discharge studies on schizophrenia population. Lastly, the link between schizophrenia psychopathology and corollary discharge dysfunction has been highlighted, and an attempt has been made to establish a case for correction of corollary discharge deficit in schizophrenia through neuromodulation.

Retinal-input-induced epigenetic dynamics in the developing mouse dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

DNA methylation plays important roles in the regulation of nervous system development and in cellular responses to environmental stimuli such as light-derived signals. Despite great efforts in understanding the maturation and refinement of visual circuits, we lack a clear understanding of how changes in DNA methylation correlate with visual activity in the developing subcortical visual system, such as in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), the main retino-recipient region in the dorsal thalamus. Here, we explored epigenetic dynamics underlying dLGN development at ages before and after eye opening in wild-type mice and mutant mice in which retinal ganglion cells fail to form. We observed that development-related epigenetic changes tend to co-localize together on functional genomic regions critical for regulating gene expression, while retinal-input-induced epigenetic changes are enriched on repetitive elements. Enhancers identified in neurons are prone to methylation dynamics during development, and activity-induced enhancers are associated with retinal-input-induced epigenetic changes. Intriguingly, the binding motifs of activity-dependent transcription factors, including EGR1 and members of MEF2 family, are enriched in the genomic regions with epigenetic aberrations in dLGN tissues of mutant mice lacking retinal inputs. Overall, our study sheds new light on the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying the role of retinal inputs on the development of mouse dLGN.

A Framework for Intelligence and Cortical Function Based on Grid Cells in the Neocortex

How the neocortex works is a mystery. In this paper we propose a novel framework for understanding its function. Grid cells are neurons in the entorhinal cortex that represent the location of an animal in its environment. Recent evidence suggests that grid cell-like neurons may also be present in the neocortex. We propose that grid cells exist throughout the neocortex, in every region and in every cortical column. They define a location-based framework for how the neocortex functions. Whereas grid cells in the entorhinal cortex represent the location of one thing, the body relative to its environment, we propose that cortical grid cells simultaneously represent the location of many things. Cortical columns in somatosensory cortex track the location of tactile features relative to the object being touched and cortical columns in visual cortex track the location of visual features relative to the object being viewed. We propose that mechanisms in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus that evolved for learning the structure of environments are now used by the neocortex to learn the structure of objects. Having a representation of location in each cortical column suggests mechanisms for how the neocortex represents object compositionality and object behaviors. It leads to the hypothesis that every part of the neocortex learns complete models of objects and that there are many models of each object distributed throughout the neocortex. The similarity of circuitry observed in all cortical regions is strong evidence that even high-level cognitive tasks are learned and represented in a location-based framework.

Functional Diversity of Thalamic Reticular Subnetworks

The activity of the GABAergic neurons of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) has long been known to play important roles in modulating the flow of information through the thalamus and in generating changes in thalamic activity during transitions from wakefulness to sleep. Recently, technological advances have considerably expanded our understanding of the functional organization of TRN. These have identified an impressive array of functionally distinct subnetworks in TRN that participate in sensory, motor, and/or cognitive processes through their different functional connections with thalamic projection neurons. Accordingly, "first order" projection neurons receive "driver" inputs from subcortical sources and are usually connected to a densely distributed TRN subnetwork composed of multiple elongated neural clusters that are topographically organized and incorporate spatially corresponding electrically connected neurons-first order projection neurons are also connected to TRN subnetworks exhibiting different state-dependent activity profiles. "Higher order" projection neurons receive driver inputs from cortical layer 5 and are mainly connected to a densely distributed TRN subnetwork composed of multiple broad neural clusters that are non-topographically organized and incorporate spatially corresponding electrically connected neurons. And projection neurons receiving "driver-like" inputs from the superior colliculus or basal ganglia are connected to TRN subnetworks composed of either elongated or broad neural clusters. Furthermore, TRN subnetworks that mediate interactions among neurons within groups of thalamic nuclei are connected to all three types of thalamic projection neurons. In addition, several TRN subnetworks mediate various bottom-up, top-down, and internuclear attentional processes: some bottom-up and top-down attentional mechanisms are specifically related to first order projection neurons whereas internuclear attentional mechanisms engage all three types of projection neurons. The TRN subnetworks formed by elongated and broad neural clusters may act as templates to guide the operations of the TRN subnetworks related to attentional processes. In this review article, the evidence revealing the functional TRN subnetworks will be evaluated and will be discussed in relation to the functions of the various sensory and motor thalamic nuclei with which these subnetworks are connected.

Development, organization and plasticity of auditory circuits: Lessons from a cherished colleague

Ray Guillery was a neuroscientist known primarily for his ground-breaking studies on the development of the visual pathways and subsequently on the nature of thalamocortical processing loops. The legacy of his work, however, extends well beyond the visual system. Thanks to Ray Guillery's pioneering anatomical studies, the ferret has become a widely used animal model for investigating the development and plasticity of sensory processing. This includes our own work on the auditory system, where experiments in ferrets have revealed the role of sensory experience during development in shaping the neural circuits responsible for sound localization, as well as the capacity of the mature brain to adapt to changes in inputs resulting from hearing loss. Our research has also built on Ray Guillery's ideas about the possible functions of the massive descending projections that link sensory areas of the cerebral cortex to the thalamus and other subcortical targets, by demonstrating a role for corticothalamic feedback in the perception of complex sounds and for corticollicular projection neurons in learning to accommodate altered auditory spatial cues. Finally, his insights into the organization and functions of transthalamic corticocortical connections have inspired a raft of research, including by our own laboratory, which has attempted to identify how information flows through the thalamus.

Axon Collaterals and Brain States

Multiple mechanisms have been identified as relevant to plasticity, functional stability, and reliable processing across brain states. In the context of stability under "ever-changing conditions" (this Topic), the role of axons has been relatively under-investigated. The highly branched topologies of many axons, however, seem well designed to differentially recruit and regulate distributed postsynaptic groups, possibly in a state-dependent fashion. In this Perspective, I briefly discuss several examples of axon collateralization, and then some of the branch-specific features that might subserve differential recruitment and whole brain activation. An emerging principle is that the number of collaterals and number of target structures are not stereotyped. Rather, axons originating from one defined source typically send branches to diversified subsets of target areas. This could achieve heterogeneous inputs, with different degrees of synchronicity. Variability of neuronal responses has been suggested as inversely proportional to the degree of temporally correlated input. Increased input homogeneity, driven by sensory stimulation or behavioral conditions, is reported to reduce neuronal variability, with axon collateralization potentially having an important role.

My prolonged collaboration with Ray Guillery

My active collaboration with Ray Guillery started in 1968, when he was a Full Professor at the University of Wisconsin and I was a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. The collaboration lasted almost 50 years with virtually no breaks. Among the ideas we proposed are that glutamatergic pathways in thalamus and cortex can be classified into drivers and modulators; that many thalamic nuclei could be classified as higher order, meaning that they receive driving input from layer 5 of cortex and participate in cortico-thalamocortical circuits; and that much of the information relayed by thalamus serves as an efference copy for motor commands initiated by cortex.

Rainer Walter Guillery. 28 August 1929—7 April 2017

Rainer (Ray) Guillery was a remarkably productive neuroscientist and as such left an indelible mark on the field, both in terms of his direct contributions and also through his success at mentoring and nurturing young scholars who went on to successful careers of their own. Ray's work profoundly advanced our understanding of the related fields of development and thalamocortical functioning; his work was highly imaginative and insightful; and he was a cherished colleague and role model for his many former students and friends in the field. Ray's scholarly efforts were carried out on three continents. He trained initially in London and, after serving on the faculties at the Universities of Wisconsin and Chicago in the United States, he returned to England at the University of Oxford. After retiring from his Oxford post, he went back as a visiting scholar to the University of Wisconsin, and then moved to a post at the University of Marmara in Turkey, which is located in the Asian sector of Istanbul. He finally returned to Oxford in an emeritus capacity and remained there until his death.

Cognitive Functions and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Involving the Prefrontal Cortex and Mediodorsal Thalamus

The mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus (MD) has been implicated in executive functions (such as planning, cognitive control, working memory, and decision-making) because of its significant interconnectivity with the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Yet, whilst the roles of the PFC have been extensively studied, how the MD contributes to these cognitive functions remains relatively unclear. Recently, causal evidence in monkeys has demonstrated that in everyday tasks involving rapid updating (e.g., while learning something new, making decisions, or planning the next move), the MD and frontal cortex are working in close partnership. Furthermore, researchers studying the MD in rodents have been able to probe the underlying mechanisms of this relationship to give greater insights into how the frontal cortex and MD might interact during the performance of these essential tasks. This review summarizes the circuitry and known neuromodulators of the MD, and considers the most recent behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological studies conducted in monkeys and rodents; in total, this evidence demonstrates that MD makes a critical contribution to cognitive functions. We propose that communication occurs between the MD and the frontal cortex in an ongoing, fluid manner during rapid cognitive operations, via the means of efference copies of messages passed through transthalamic routes; the conductance of these messages may be modulated by other brain structures interconnected to the MD. This is similar to the way in which other thalamic structures have been suggested to carry out forward modeling associated with rapid motor responding and visual processing. Given this, and the marked thalamic pathophysiology now identified in many neuropsychiatric disorders, we suggest that changes in the different subdivisions of the MD and their interconnections with the cortex could plausibly give rise to a number of the otherwise disparate symptoms (including changes to olfaction and cognitive functioning) that are associated with many different neuropsychiatric disorders. In particular, we will focus here on the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and suggest testable hypotheses about how changes to MD-frontal cortex interactions may affect cognitive processes in this disorder.

Somatosensory maps

Somatosensory areas containing topographic maps of the body surface are a major feature of parietal cortex. In primates, parietal cortex contains four somatosensory areas, each with its own map, with the primary cutaneous map in area 3b. Rodents have at least three parietal somatosensory areas. Maps are not isomorphic to the body surface, but magnify behaviorally important skin regions, which include the hands and face in primates, and the whiskers in rodents. Within each map, intracortical circuits process tactile information, mediate spatial integration, and support active sensation. Maps may also contain fine-scale representations of touch submodalities, or direction of tactile motion. Functional representations are more overlapping than suggested by textbook depictions of map topography. The whisker map in rodent somatosensory cortex is a canonic system for studying cortical microcircuits, sensory coding, and map plasticity. Somatosensory maps are plastic throughout life in response to altered use or injury. This chapter reviews basic principles and recent findings in primate, human, and rodent somatosensory maps.

The Sensory Neocortex and Associative Memory

Most behaviors in mammals are directly or indirectly guided by prior experience and therefore depend on the ability of our brains to form memories. The ability to form an association between an initially possibly neutral sensory stimulus and its behavioral relevance is essential for our ability to navigate in a changing environment. The formation of a memory is a complex process involving many areas of the brain. In this chapter we review classic and recent work that has shed light on the specific contribution of sensory cortical areas to the formation of associative memories. We discuss synaptic and circuit mechanisms that mediate plastic adaptations of functional properties in individual neurons as well as larger neuronal populations forming topographically organized representations. Furthermore, we describe commonly used behavioral paradigms that are used to study the mechanisms of memory formation. We focus on the auditory modality that is receiving increasing attention for the study of associative memory in rodent model systems. We argue that sensory cortical areas may play an important role for the memory-dependent categorical recognition of previously encountered sensory stimuli.

Representation of time interval entrained by periodic stimuli in the visual thalamus of pigeons

Animals use the temporal information from previously experienced periodic events to instruct their future behaviors. The retina and cortex are involved in such behavior, but it remains largely unknown how the thalamus, transferring visual information from the retina to the cortex, processes the periodic temporal patterns. Here we report that the luminance cells in the nucleus dorsolateralis anterior thalami (DLA) of pigeons exhibited oscillatory activities in a temporal pattern identical to the rhythmic luminance changes of repetitive light/dark (LD) stimuli with durations in the seconds-to-minutes range. Particularly, after LD stimulation, the DLA cells retained the entrained oscillatory activities with an interval closely matching the duration of the LD cycle. Furthermore, the post-stimulus oscillatory activities of the DLA cells were sustained without feedback inputs from the pallium (equivalent to the mammalian cortex). Our study suggests that the experience-dependent representation of time interval in the brain might not be confined to the pallial/cortical level, but may occur as early as at the thalamic level.

A Theory of How Columns in the Neocortex Enable Learning the Structure of the World

Neocortical regions are organized into columns and layers. Connections between layers run mostly perpendicular to the surface suggesting a columnar functional organization. Some layers have long-range excitatory lateral connections suggesting interactions between columns. Similar patterns of connectivity exist in all regions but their exact role remain a mystery. In this paper, we propose a network model composed of columns and layers that performs robust object learning and recognition. Each column integrates its changing input over time to learn complete predictive models of observed objects. Excitatory lateral connections across columns allow the network to more rapidly infer objects based on the partial knowledge of adjacent columns. Because columns integrate input over time and space, the network learns models of complex objects that extend well beyond the receptive field of individual cells. Our network model introduces a new feature to cortical columns. We propose that a representation of location relative to the object being sensed is calculated within the sub-granular layers of each column. The location signal is provided as an input to the network, where it is combined with sensory data. Our model contains two layers and one or more columns. Simulations show that using Hebbian-like learning rules small single-column networks can learn to recognize hundreds of objects, with each object containing tens of features. Multi-column networks recognize objects with significantly fewer movements of the sensory receptors. Given the ubiquity of columnar and laminar connectivity patterns throughout the neocortex, we propose that columns and regions have more powerful recognition and modeling capabilities than previously assumed.

Mediodorsal Thalamic Neurons Mirror the Activity of Medial Prefrontal Neurons Responding to Movement and Reinforcement during a Dynamic DNMTP Task

The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) interacts with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to support learning and adaptive decision-making. MD receives driver (layer 5) and modulatory (layer 6) projections from PFC and is the main source of driver thalamic projections to middle cortical layers of PFC. Little is known about the activity of MD neurons and their influence on PFC during decision-making. We recorded MD neurons in rats performing a dynamic delayed nonmatching to position (dDNMTP) task and compared results to a previous study of mPFC with the same task (Onos et al., 2016). Criterion event-related responses were observed for 22% (254/1179) of neurons recorded in MD, 237 (93%) of which exhibited activity consistent with mPFC response types. More MD than mPFC neurons exhibited responses related to movement (45% vs. 29%) and reinforcement (51% vs. 27%). MD had few responses related to lever presses, and none related to preparation or memory delay, which constituted 43% of event-related activity in mPFC. Comparison of averaged normalized population activity and population response times confirmed the broad similarity of common response types in MD and mPFC and revealed differences in the onset and offset of some response types. Our results show that MD represents information about actions and outcomes essential for decision-making during dDNMTP, consistent with evidence from lesion studies that MD supports reward-based learning and action-selection. These findings support the hypothesis that MD reinforces task-relevant neural activity in PFC that gives rise to adaptive behavior.

Perspectives on classical controversies about the motor cortex

Primary motor cortex has been studied for more than a century, yet a consensus on its functional contribution to movement control is still out of reach. In particular, there remains controversy as to the level of control produced by motor cortex ("low-level" movement dynamics vs. "high-level" movement kinematics) and the role of sensory feedback. In this review, we present different perspectives on the two following questions: What does activity in motor cortex reflect? and How do planned motor commands interact with incoming sensory feedback during movement? The four authors each present their independent views on how they think the primary motor cortex (M1) controls movement. At the end, we present a dialogue in which the authors synthesize their views and suggest possibilities for moving the field forward. While there is not yet a consensus on the role of M1 or sensory feedback in the control of upper limb movements, such dialogues are essential to take us closer to one.

Thalamic Inhibition: Diverse Sources, Diverse Scales

The thalamus is the major source of cortical inputs shaping sensation, action, and cognition. Thalamic circuits are targeted by two major inhibitory systems: the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and extrathalamic inhibitory (ETI) inputs. A unifying framework of how these systems operate is currently lacking. Here, we propose that TRN circuits are specialized to exert thalamic control at different spatiotemporal scales. Local inhibition of thalamic spike rates prevails during attentional selection, whereas global inhibition more likely prevails during sleep. In contrast, the ETI (arising from basal ganglia, zona incerta (ZI), anterior pretectum, and pontine reticular formation) provides temporally precise and focal inhibition, impacting spike timing. Together, these inhibitory systems allow graded control of thalamic output, enabling thalamocortical operations to dynamically match ongoing behavioral demands.

Closed-Loop Brain Model of Neocortical Information-Based Exchange

Here we describe an “information-based exchange” model of brain function that ascribes to neocortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus distinct network functions. The model allows us to analyze whole brain system set point measures, such as the rate and heterogeneity of transitions in striatum and neocortex, in the context of neuromodulation and other perturbations. Our closed-loop model is grounded in neuroanatomical observations, proposing a novel “Grand Loop” through neocortex, and invokes different forms of plasticity at specific tissue interfaces and their principle cell synapses to achieve these transitions. By implementing a system for maximum information-based exchange of action potentials between modeled neocortical areas, we observe changes to these measures in simulation. We hypothesize that similar dynamic set points and modulations exist in the brain's resting state activity, and that different modifications to information-based exchange may shift the risk profile of different component tissues, resulting in different neurodegenerative diseases. This model is targeted for further development using IBM's Neural Tissue Simulator, which allows scalable elaboration of networks, tissues, and their neural and synaptic components toward ever greater complexity and biological realism.

Control of Somatosensory Cortical Processing by Thalamic Posterior Medial Nucleus: A New Role of Thalamus in Cortical Function

Current knowledge of thalamocortical interaction comes mainly from studying lemniscal thalamic systems. Less is known about paralemniscal thalamic nuclei function. In the vibrissae system, the posterior medial nucleus (POm) is the corresponding paralemniscal nucleus. POm neurons project to L1 and L5A of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in the rat brain. It is known that L1 modifies sensory-evoked responses through control of intracortical excitability suggesting that L1 exerts an influence on whisker responses. Therefore, thalamocortical pathways targeting L1 could modulate cortical firing. Here, using a combination of electrophysiology and pharmacology in vivo, we have sought to determine how POm influences cortical processing. In our experiments, single unit recordings performed in urethane-anesthetized rats showed that POm imposes precise control on the magnitude and duration of supra- and infragranular barrel cortex whisker responses. Our findings demonstrated that L1 inputs from POm imposed a time and intensity dependent regulation on cortical sensory processing. Moreover, we found that blocking L1 GABAergic inhibition or blocking P/Q-type Ca2+ channels in L1 prevents POm adjustment of whisker responses in the barrel cortex. Additionally, we found that POm was also controlling the sensory processing in S2 and this regulation was modulated by corticofugal activity from L5 in S1. Taken together, our data demonstrate the determinant role exerted by the POm in the adjustment of somatosensory cortical processing and in the regulation of cortical processing between S1 and S2. We propose that this adjustment could be a thalamocortical gain regulation mechanism also present in the processing of information between cortical areas.

Thalamic nuclei convey diverse contextual information to layer 1 of visual cortex

Sensory perception depends on the context in which a stimulus occurs. Prevailing models emphasize cortical feedback as the source of contextual modulation. However, higher order thalamic nuclei, such as the pulvinar, interconnect with many cortical and subcortical areas, suggesting a role for the thalamus in providing sensory and behavioral context. Yet the nature of the signals conveyed to cortex by higher order thalamus remains poorly understood. Here we use axonal calcium imaging to measure information provided to visual cortex by the pulvinar equivalent in mice, the lateral posterior nucleus (LP), as well as the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). We found that dLGN conveys retinotopically precise visual signals, while LP provides distributed information from the visual scene. Both LP and dLGN projections carry locomotion signals. However, while dLGN inputs often respond to positive combinations of running and visual flow speed, LP signals discrepancies between self-generated and external visual motion. This higher order thalamic nucleus therefore conveys diverse contextual signals that inform visual cortex about visual scene changes not predicted by the animal's own actions.

T-type calcium channels cause bursts of spikes in motor but not sensory thalamic neurons during mimicry of natural patterns of synaptic input

Although neurons within intact nervous systems can be classified as ‘sensory’ or ‘motor,’ it is not known whether there is any general distinction between sensory and motor neurons at the cellular or molecular levels. Here, we extend and test a theory according to which activation of certain subtypes of voltage-gated ion channel (VGC) generate patterns of spikes in neurons of motor systems, whereas VGC are proposed to counteract patterns in sensory neurons. We previously reported experimental evidence for the theory from visual thalamus, where we found that T-type calcium channels (TtCCs) did not cause bursts of spikes but instead served the function of ‘predictive homeostasis’ to maximize the causal and informational link between retinogeniculate excitation and spike output. Here, we have recorded neurons in brain slices from eight sensory and motor regions of rat thalamus while mimicking key features of natural excitatory and inhibitory post-synaptic potentials. As predicted by theory, TtCC did cause bursts of spikes in motor thalamus. TtCC-mediated responses in motor thalamus were activated at more hyperpolarized potentials and caused larger depolarizations with more spikes than in visual and auditory thalamus. Somatosensory thalamus is known to be more closely connected to motor regions relative to auditory and visual thalamus, and likewise the strength of its TtCC responses was intermediate between these regions and motor thalamus. We also observed lower input resistance, as well as limited evidence of stronger hyperpolarization-induced (‘H-type’) depolarization, in nuclei closer to motor output. These findings support our theory of a specific difference between sensory and motor neurons at the cellular level.

The mediodorsal thalamus as a higher order thalamic relay nucleus important for learning and decision-making

Recent evidence from monkey models of cognition shows that the magnocellular subdivision of the mediodorsal thalamus (MDmc) is more critical for learning new information than for retention of previously acquired information. Further, consistent evidence in animal models shows the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) contributes to adaptive decision-making. It is assumed that prefrontal cortex (PFC) and medial temporal lobes govern these cognitive processes so this evidence suggests that MD contributes a role in these cognitive processes too. Anatomically, the MD has extensive excitatory cortico-thalamo-cortical connections, especially with the PFC. MD also receives modulatory inputs from forebrain, midbrain and brainstem regions. It is suggested that the MD is a higher order thalamic relay of the PFC due to the dual cortico-thalamic inputs from layer V ('driver' inputs capable of transmitting a message) and layer VI ('modulator' inputs) of the PFC. Thus, the MD thalamic relay may support the transfer of information across the PFC via this indirect thalamic route. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the anatomy of MD as a higher order thalamic relay. It also reviews behavioral and electrophysiological studies in animals to consider how MD might support the transfer of information across the cortex during learning and decision-making. Current evidence suggests the MD is particularly important during rapid trial-by-trial associative learning and decision-making paradigms that involve multiple cognitive processes. Further studies need to consider the influence of the MD higher order relay to advance our knowledge about how the cortex processes higher order cognition.

The thalamic reticular nucleus: a functional hub for thalamocortical network dysfunction in schizophrenia and a target for drug discovery

The thalamus (comprising many distinct nuclei) plays a key role in facilitating sensory discrimination and cognitive processes through connections with the cortex. Impaired thalamocortical processing has long been considered to be involved in schizophrenia. In this review we focus on the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) providing evidence for it being an important communication hub between the thalamus and cortex and how it may play a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We first highlight the functional neuroanatomy, neurotransmitter localisation and physiology of the TRN. We then present evidence of the physiological roles of the TRN in relation to oscillatory activity, cognition and behaviour. Next we discuss the role of the TRN in rodent models of risk factors for schizophrenia (genetic and pharmacological) and provide evidence for TRN deficits in schizophrenia. Finally we discuss new drug targets for schizophrenia in relation to restoring TRN circuitry dysfunction.

Associative learning beyond the medial temporal lobe: many actors on the memory stage

Decades of research have established a model that includes the medial temporal lobe, and particularly the hippocampus, as a critical node for episodic memory. Neuroimaging and clinical studies have shown the involvement of additional cortical and subcortical regions. Among these areas, the thalamus, the retrosplenial cortex, and the prefrontal cortices have been consistently related to episodic memory performance. This article provides evidences that these areas are in different forms and degrees critical for human memory function rather than playing only an ancillary role. First we briefly summarize the functional architecture of the medial temporal lobe with respect to recognition memory and recall. We then focus on the clinical and neuroimaging evidence available on thalamo-prefrontal and thalamo-retrosplenial networks. The role of these networks in episodic memory has been considered secondary, partly because disruption of these areas does not always lead to severe impairments; to account for this evidence, we discuss methodological issues related to the investigation of these regions. We propose that these networks contribute differently to recognition memory and recall, and also that the memory stage of their contribution shows specificity to encoding or retrieval in recall tasks. We note that the same mechanisms may be in force when humans perform non-episodic tasks, e.g., semantic retrieval and mental time travel. Functional disturbance of these networks is related to cognitive impairments not only in neurological disorders, but also in psychiatric medical conditions, such as schizophrenia. Finally we discuss possible mechanisms for the contribution of these areas to memory, including regulation of oscillatory rhythms and long-term potentiation. We conclude that integrity of the thalamo-frontal and the thalamo-retrosplenial networks is necessary for the manifold features of episodic memory.

Neural correlates of motor vigour and motor urgency during exercise

This article reviews the brain structures and neural circuitry underlying the motor system as it pertains to endurance exercise. Some obvious phenomena that occur during endurance racing events that need to be explained neurophysiologically are variable pacing strategies, the end spurt, motivation and the rating of perceived exertion. Understanding the above phenomena physiologically is problematic due to the sheer complexity of obtaining real-time brain measurements during exercise. In those rare instances where brain measurements have been made during exercise, the measurements have usually been limited to the sensory and motor cortices; or the exercise itself was limited to small muscle groups. Without discounting the crucial importance of the primary motor cortex in the execution of voluntary movement, it is surprising that very few exercise studies pay any attention to the complex and dynamic organization of motor action in relation to the subcortical nuclei, given that they are essential for the execution of normal movement patterns. In addition, the findings from laboratory-based exercise performance trials are hampered by the absence of objective measures of the motivational state of subjects. In this review we propose that some of the above phenomena may be explained by distinguishing between voluntary, vigorous and urgent motor behaviours during exercise, given that different CNS structures and neurotransmitters are involved in the execution of these different motor behaviours.

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops

Discovering the structure underlying observed data is a recurring problem in machine learning with important applications in neuroscience. It is also a primary function of the brain. When data can be actively collected in the context of a closed action-perception loop, behavior becomes a critical determinant of learning efficiency. Psychologists studying exploration and curiosity in humans and animals have long argued that learning itself is a primary motivator of behavior. However, the theoretical basis of learning-driven behavior is not well understood. Previous computational studies of behavior have largely focused on the control problem of maximizing acquisition of rewards and have treated learning the structure of data as a secondary objective. Here, we study exploration in the absence of external reward feedback. Instead, we take the quality of an agent's learned internal model to be the primary objective. In a simple probabilistic framework, we derive a Bayesian estimate for the amount of information about the environment an agent can expect to receive by taking an action, a measure we term the predicted information gain (PIG). We develop exploration strategies that approximately maximize PIG. One strategy based on value-iteration consistently learns faster than previously developed reward-free exploration strategies across a diverse range of environments. Psychologists believe the evolutionary advantage of learning-driven exploration lies in the generalized utility of an accurate internal model. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that agents which learn more efficiently during exploration are later better able to accomplish a range of goal-directed tasks. We will conclude by discussing how our work elucidates the explorative behaviors of animals and humans, its relationship to other computational models of behavior, and its potential application to experimental design, such as in closed-loop neurophysiology studies.

A role for the default mode network in the bases of disorders of consciousness

OBJECTIVE

Functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) is known to be reduced in patients with disorders of consciousness, to a different extent depending on their clinical severity. Nevertheless, the integrity of the structural architecture supporting this network and its relation with the exhibited functional disconnections are very poorly understood. We investigated the structural connectivity and white matter integrity of the DMN in patients with disorders of consciousness of varying clinical severity.

METHODS

Fifty-two patients--19 in a vegetative state (VS), 27 in a minimally conscious state (MCS), and 6 emerging from a minimally conscious state (EMCS)--and 23 healthy volunteers participated in the study. Structural connectivity was assessed by means of probabilistic tractography, and the integrity of the resulting fibers was characterized by their mean fractional anisotropy values.

RESULTS

Patients showed significant impairments in all of the pathways connecting cortical regions within this network, as well as the pathway connecting the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus with the thalamus, relative to the healthy volunteers. Moreover, the structural integrity of this pathway, as well as that of those connecting the posterior areas of the network, was correlated with the patients' behavioral signs for awareness, being higher in EMCS patients than those in the upper and lower ranges of the MCS patients, and lowest in VS patients.

INTERPRETATION

These results provide a possible neural substrate for the functional disconnection previously described in these patients, and reinforce the importance of the DMN in the genesis of awareness and the neural bases of its disorders.

Excitatory neuronal connectivity in the barrel cortex

Neocortical areas are believed to be organized into vertical modules, the cortical columns, and the horizontal layers 1–6. In the somatosensory barrel cortex these columns are defined by the readily discernible barrel structure in layer 4. Information processing in the neocortex occurs along vertical and horizontal axes, thereby linking individual barrel-related columns via axons running through the different cortical layers of the barrel cortex. Long-range signaling occurs within the neocortical layers but also through axons projecting through the white matter to other neocortical areas and subcortical brain regions. Because of the ease of identification of barrel-related columns, the rodent barrel cortex has become a prototypical system to study the interactions between different neuronal connections within a sensory cortical area and between this area and other cortical as well subcortical regions. Such interactions will be discussed specifically for the feed-forward and feedback loops between the somatosensory and the somatomotor cortices as well as the different thalamic nuclei. In addition, recent advances concerning the morphological characteristics of excitatory neurons and their impact on the synaptic connectivity patterns and signaling properties of neuronal microcircuits in the whisker-related somatosensory cortex will be reviewed. In this context, their relationship between the structural properties of barrel-related columns and their function as a module in vertical synaptic signaling in the whisker-related cortical areas will be discussed.

Thalamocortical interactions

Glutamatergic pathways dominate information processing in the brain, but these are not homogeneous. They include two distinct types: Class 1, which carries the main information for processing, and Class 2, which serves a modulatory role. Identifying the Class 1 inputs in a circuit can lead to a better understanding of its function. Also, identifying Class 1 inputs to a thalamic nucleus tells us its main function (e.g. the lateral geniculate nucleus, or LGN, is the relay of retinal Class 1 input), and such identification leads to a division of thalamic relays into first and higher order: the former receives Class 1 inputs from subcortical sources; the latter, from layer 5 of cortex, which it then relays to another cortical area. When a cortical area directly connects with another, it often has a parallel, transthalamic connection through these higher order relays. This leads to a novel appreciation of cortical functioning and raises many new questions.

Schizophrenia as a disturbance of cortical sensory maps

Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by a variety of symptoms, which among others include hallucinations, delusions and passivity experiences. It has been found that individuals with schizophrenia misattribute their own thoughts and actions to an outside agency (source monitoring deficits), which could account for psychotic experiences such as that of hearing voices. In order to explain the source-monitoring deficits as well as psychosis, it has been proposed that mechanisms that enable anticipation and recognition of sensory consequences of one’s own actions are impaired in schizophrenia. Importantly, such mechanisms may require accurate cortical sensory representations such as in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). The establishment and maintenance of cortical sensory representations has been found to utilize a sleep-related brain rhythm known as spindling. Namely, in the perinatal period in humans and animals, and possibly also thereafter, spontaneous activity in the sensory periphery drives spindle activity in the developing cortical sensory areas, which then contributes to the formation of sensory representations that match bodily features. For example, muscle twitch-spindle sequences during sleep facilitate the formation and maintenance of S1 in accordance with the layout of musculature. This process has been proposed to continue throughout the lifespan and may be particularly important during periods of bodily changes (adolescence, menopause). In schizophrenia, the amount of sleep spindle activity is markedly reduced, which would be expected to result in insufficient cortical sensory representations and have relevance for the relative inability of individuals with schizophrenia to accurately recognize self-initiated actions.

Abnormalities in thalamic neurophysiology in schizophrenia: could psychosis be a result of potassium channel dysfunction?

Psychosis in schizophrenia is associated with source-monitoring deficits whereby self-initiated behaviors become attributed to outside sources. One of the proposed functions of the thalamus is to adjust sensory responsiveness in accordance with the behavioral contextual cues. The thalamus is markedly affected in schizophrenia, and thalamic dysfunction may here result in reduced ability to adjust sensory responsiveness to ongoing behavior. One of the ways in which the thalamus accomplishes the adjustment of sensory processing is by a neurophysiological shift to post-inhibitory burst firing mode prior to and during certain exploratory actions. Reduced amount of thalamic burst firing may result from increased neuronal excitability secondary to a reported potassium channel dysfunction in schizophrenia. Pharmacological agents that reduce the excitability of thalamic cells and thereby promote burst firing by and large tend to have antipsychotic effects.

Optimized neural coding? Control mechanisms in large cortical networks implemented by connectivity changes

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that a distributed fronto-parietal visuomotor integration network is recruited to overcome automatic responses to both biological and nonbiological cues. Activity levels in these areas are similar for both cue types. The functional connectivity of this network, however, reveals differential coupling with thalamus and precuneus (biological cues) and extrastriate cortex (nonbiological cues). This suggests that a set of cortical areas equally activated in two tasks may accomplish task goals differently depending on their network interactions. This supports models of brain organization that emphasize efficient coding through changing patterns of integration between regions of specialized function.

Sleep abnormalities in schizophrenia may suggest impaired trans-thalamic cortico-cortical communication: towards a dynamic model of the illness

Schizophrenia is associated with a wide range of symptoms. These include auditory hallucinations, delusions, and experiences that one is not in control of one's own thoughts and actions, but that they are inserted by an outside agency. It has been proposed that a disturbance in the sense of self may account for many of these symptoms. This disturbance in turn may be associated with source monitoring deficits. In other words, individuals with schizophrenia may misattribute the source of their own thoughts and actions to an outside agency, which then results in the experience of psychosis such as that of hearing voices. To explain the source monitoring deficits, it has been proposed that this illness involves impairment in corollary discharge mechanisms. Corollary discharge refers to preparation of sensory systems that will be affected by an action in advance of that action, which then allows this action to be recognized as one's own. Current research on corollary discharges suggests that they may involve the thalamus, which is notably affected in schizophrenia in terms of volume loss. Sleep abnormalities in this illness also suggest thalamic dysfunction as sleep spindles, which are markedly reduced in schizophrenia, require intact thalamocortical interactions. In this review, evidence is presented that suggests that propagation of corollary discharges and sleep spindles may be two mechanistically related processes as both involve trans-thalamic cortico-cortical interactions. These interactions may be impaired in schizophrenia and characterization of their mechanism may constitute a step towards developing a dynamic model of schizophrenia.