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: Garrett T. Neske, Jessica A. Cardin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Cell Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725000634
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author Garrett T. Neske
Jessica A. Cardin
author_facet Garrett T. Neske
Jessica A. Cardin
author_sort Garrett T. Neske
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj-art-c102853f17ea428ca3fc0a4990ba5e092025-08-20T02:13:31ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472025-02-0144211529210.1016/j.celrep.2025.115292Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state informationGarrett T. Neske0Jessica A. Cardin1Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725000634CP: Neuroscience
spellingShingle Garrett T. Neske
Jessica A. Cardin
Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
Cell Reports
CP: Neuroscience
title Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
title_full Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
title_fullStr Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
title_full_unstemmed Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
title_short Higher-order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
title_sort higher order thalamic input to cortex selectively conveys state information
topic CP: Neuroscience
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725000634
work_keys_str_mv AT garretttneske higherorderthalamicinputtocortexselectivelyconveysstateinformation
AT jessicaacardin higherorderthalamicinputtocortexselectivelyconveysstateinformation