The Effect of Feedback Inhibition on Sensory Relay by Visual Thalamus

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The flow of visual information from the eye (retina) to the areas of the brain (cerebral cortex) necessary for visual perception is routed through a brain structure known as the thalamus. Part of the thalamus called the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) serves as a "relay station" between the retina and visual cortex. Current research indicates that the LGN plays an important role in visual processing and should be thought of as a "dynamic filter" as opposed to a "relay." The aim of this research project is to understand the functional role of the inhibitory mechanisms of the LGN (and nearby brain areas). Of particular interest is how inhibitory neurons are involved in "filtering out" retinal information from this visual pathway. The PI's approach is mathematical and computational. After constructing a biophysically and anatomically detailed mathematical model of the LGN neuronal network, numerical experiments will quantify the input/output properties of the simulated neural network. The LGN model will then be used to predict the influence of inhibitory mechanisms on the relay of retinal information to visual cortex. Because the LGN is the most extensively studied thalamic relay nuclei, it is a good system in which to study the role of inhibition in sensory processing by thalamus. This study of a sensory thalamic relay may suggest approaches to investigating the role of the thalamus in intracortical communication, a fundamental aspect of brain function.