Cognitive Thalamus

项目摘要 枕（PUL）和背内侧（MD）核是丘脑的高级结构， 在各种认知领域中的重要作用。然而，精确的机制是未知的，理论上， 表明它们在门控或促进其皮层靶点的功能连接中的作用。 最近来自精神分裂症患者的证据表明， 相互作用受到干扰，甚至可能导致疾病的病因。在这个中心，我们聚集了 一组研究人员将利用人类和非人类的行为，电生理学，成像 动物1确定丘脑高级核团在相互作用中的认知功能组织原则 与皮质; 2.将动物模型的丘脑功能转化为健康和患病的人脑; 和3.为人类高级丘脑建立一个生物学上合理的模型。中心将被分割 五个科学项目和三个核心。项目1（PI Usrey）将结合联合收割机电生理和光学 扰动，以研究注意力处理过程中PUL和早期视觉皮层区域之间的相互作用。 项目2（PI Kastner）将在猕猴中采用大规模网络方法研究 灵长类特有的mdPUL细分和额顶叶网络的注意，并研究相互作用 MD和额叶皮质区之间的层次推理和任务切换。项目3（PI Halassa） 将联合收割机结合光扰动、电生理学和树鼩疾病模型来研究相互作用 PUL调节注意力的背侧与腹侧流选择，以及MD调节额叶皮质 层次推理中的交互作用。项目4（PI柯林斯/Arcaro）将结合联合收割机功能性神经成像和 在人类中询问PUL和MD与他们的皮层合作伙伴在注意力和 层次推理。这将开始一个令人兴奋的奋进，确定什么类型的更高的 丘脑对认知的贡献在人脑中得到了扩展。项目5（PI伍德沃德）将 检查精神分裂症患者的行为-大脑关系（注意力-PUL和决策-MD）， 其中已知高级丘脑与皮质伴侣的连接的结构完整性受损。 核心A（PI Kastner、Halassa和Usrey）将对该中心进行行政管理，并涉及重要的 外联和培训活动。核心B（PI Chen）将为所有项目提供分析支持， 以通用格式跨PI进行数据收集、管理和共享，并允许与 更广泛的社区。核心C（PI Kopell）将生成计算模型， 通过收集的数据，并提供持续的基础上可测试的预测。总之，成功发射 该中心的研究有望为认知过程的神经回路提供新的框架 以及丘脑如何成为增强精神分裂症患者认知能力的靶点。

PROJECT SUMMARY The Pulvinar (PUL) and Mediodorsal (MD) nuclei are higher order thalamic structures that are known to play critical roles in various cognitive domains. However, the precise mechanisms are unknown, with theories suggesting their role in either gating or facilitating functional connectivity across their cortical targets. Imoprtantly, recent evidence from schizophrenia patients suggests that these higher order thalamic-cortical interactions are perturbed and may even be causative to disease etiology. In this Center, we have assembled a group of investigators who will utilize behavior, electrophysiology, imaging in human and non-human animals to 1. Identify cognitive functional organization principles of higher-order thalamic nuclei in interacting with cortex; 2. Translate thalamic functionality from animal models to the healthy and diseased human brain; and 3. Develop a biologically plausible model for the human higher-order thalamus. The Center will be divided into 5 Scientific Projects and 3 Cores. Project 1 (PI Usrey) will combine electrophysiology and optical perturbations to study interactions between PUL and early visual cortical areas during attentional processing. Project 2 (PI Kastner) will take a large-scale network approach in the macaque to study interactions between the primate-specific mdPUL subdivision and fronto-parietal networks in attention, and also study interactions between the MD and frontal cortical areas in hierarchical reasoning and task switching. Project 3 (PI Halassa) will combine optical perturbations, electrophysiology and disease modeling in Tupaia to study interactions between PUL regulation of dorsal vs. ventral stream selection in attention, and MD regulation of frontal cortical interactions in hierarchical reasoning. Project 4 (PI Collins/Arcaro) will combine functional neuroimaging and behavior in humans to interrogate PUL and MD engagement with their cortical partners in attention and hierarchical reasoning, respectively. This will begin an exciting endeavor of determining what types of higher order thalamic contributions to cognition have expanded in the human brain. Project 5 (PI Woodward) will examine behavior-brain relationships (attention-PUL and decision making-MD) in schizophrenia patients, where the structural integrity of higher order thalamic connectivity to cortical partners is known to be impaired. Core A (PIs Kastner, Halassa and Usrey) will administratively manage this Center and involve important outreach and training activities. Core B (PI Chen) will provide analytical support for all projects and streamline data collection, curation and sharing across PIs with common format, as well as allow for data sharing with the broader community. Core C (PI Kopell) will generate computational models that will be iteratively refined by the collected data and provide testable prediction on an ongoing basis. Altogether, successful launching of this Center promises to provide new frameworks for the neural circuitry underlying cognitive processing and how the thalamus may be a target for enhancing cognition in schizophrenia.