Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery
Patients with disorders of consciousness suffer from severe impairments in arousal and awareness alongside anomalous brain connections and aberrant neuronal activities. The thalamus, a crucial hub in the brain connectome, has been empirically inferred to maintain consciousness and wakefulness. Here,...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | The Innovation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675825000499 |
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| author | Huan Wang Yongxiang Hu Qianqian Ge Yuanyuan Dang Yi Yang Long Xu Xiaoyu Xia Peng Zhang Sheng He Steven Laureys Yan Yang Jianghong He |
| author_facet | Huan Wang Yongxiang Hu Qianqian Ge Yuanyuan Dang Yi Yang Long Xu Xiaoyu Xia Peng Zhang Sheng He Steven Laureys Yan Yang Jianghong He |
| author_sort | Huan Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Patients with disorders of consciousness suffer from severe impairments in arousal and awareness alongside anomalous brain connections and aberrant neuronal activities. The thalamus, a crucial hub in the brain connectome, has been empirically inferred to maintain consciousness and wakefulness. Here, we investigated thalamic spiking, brain connectivity, consciousness states, and recovery outcomes following deep brain stimulation in 29 patients. Our study reveals that thalamic neuronal activity serves as a marker of consciousness state. Patients diagnosed with vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome exhibited less-active neurons, with longer and more variable burst discharges, than those in a minimally conscious state. Furthermore, neuronal profiles in the intralaminar thalamus, the direct stimulation site, predicted whether electrostimulation here improved recovery. Stronger tonic firing was correlated with enhanced thalamocortical connectivity and better recovery outcomes in patients. These findings suggest that thalamic spiking signatures, including single-neuron burst discharge and tonic firing, selectively indicate the representation and alteration of consciousness. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23d6d3e2fc81448e8225045ab03670d9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-6758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Innovation |
| spelling | doaj-art-23d6d3e2fc81448e8225045ab03670d92025-08-20T03:48:51ZengElsevierThe Innovation2666-67582025-05-016510084610.1016/j.xinn.2025.100846Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recoveryHuan Wang0Yongxiang Hu1Qianqian Ge2Yuanyuan Dang3Yi Yang4Long Xu5Xiaoyu Xia6Peng Zhang7Sheng He8Steven Laureys9Yan Yang10Jianghong He11State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, ChinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, ChinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, ChinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, ChinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, ChinaDepartment of Neurosurgery, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, ChinaCERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness Research Unit, Liège University, 4000 Liège, Belgium; International Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding authorDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China; Corresponding authorPatients with disorders of consciousness suffer from severe impairments in arousal and awareness alongside anomalous brain connections and aberrant neuronal activities. The thalamus, a crucial hub in the brain connectome, has been empirically inferred to maintain consciousness and wakefulness. Here, we investigated thalamic spiking, brain connectivity, consciousness states, and recovery outcomes following deep brain stimulation in 29 patients. Our study reveals that thalamic neuronal activity serves as a marker of consciousness state. Patients diagnosed with vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome exhibited less-active neurons, with longer and more variable burst discharges, than those in a minimally conscious state. Furthermore, neuronal profiles in the intralaminar thalamus, the direct stimulation site, predicted whether electrostimulation here improved recovery. Stronger tonic firing was correlated with enhanced thalamocortical connectivity and better recovery outcomes in patients. These findings suggest that thalamic spiking signatures, including single-neuron burst discharge and tonic firing, selectively indicate the representation and alteration of consciousness.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675825000499 |
| spellingShingle | Huan Wang Yongxiang Hu Qianqian Ge Yuanyuan Dang Yi Yang Long Xu Xiaoyu Xia Peng Zhang Sheng He Steven Laureys Yan Yang Jianghong He Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery The Innovation |
| title | Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery |
| title_full | Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery |
| title_fullStr | Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery |
| title_short | Thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients’ consciousness level and recovery |
| title_sort | thalamic burst and tonic firing selectively indicate patients consciousness level and recovery |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675825000499 |
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