Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
Summary: Communication among neocortical areas is largely thought to be mediated by long-range synaptic interactions between cortical neurons, with the thalamus providing only an initial relay of information from the sensory periphery. Higher-order thalamic nuclei receive strong synaptic inputs from...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Cell Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725000634 |
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| Summary: | Summary: Communication among neocortical areas is largely thought to be mediated by long-range synaptic interactions between cortical neurons, with the thalamus providing only an initial relay of information from the sensory periphery. Higher-order thalamic nuclei receive strong synaptic inputs from the cortex and send robust projections back to other cortical areas, providing a distinct and potentially critical route for corticocortical communication. However, the relative contributions of corticocortical and thalamocortical inputs to higher-order cortical function remain unclear. Using imaging of neurons and axon terminals in combination with optogenetic manipulations, we find that the higher-order visual thalamus of mice has a unique impact on the posterior medial visual cortex (PM). Whereas corticocortical projections from lower cortical areas convey robust visual information to PM, higher-order thalamocortical projections convey information about global arousal state. Together, these findings suggest a key role for the higher-order thalamus in providing contextual signals that may flexibly modulate cortical sensory processing. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-1247 |