Thalamocortical interactions

这项拟议的研究将检验相关假设，即丘脑扮演着迄今被忽视的和 在大脑皮层处理中的关键作用。特别是，许多丘脑核团共同组成了 丘脑的大部分体积和以前神秘的功能，我们现在建议是 关键地参与信息流和皮质区域之间的功能性动态绑定 皮质-丘脑-皮质通路。我们建议用小鼠来研究这些途径 体感系统作为包括体外切片制备和体内注射的模型 做好准备。似乎在许多情况下，也许所有情况下，大脑皮层区域是相连的。 通过直接通路和这些跨丘脑通路。跨丘脑通路是最近才出现的。 我们的目标是探索这类通路在皮层处理中所起的一些基本作用。至 开始了解这些通路的作用，我们建议探索基本的电路属性 这些通路有助于更好地理解跨丘脑通路在高等认知中的作用 功能正常。

The proposed research will test related hypotheses that thalamus plays a heretofore neglected and critical role in cortical processing. In particular, many thalamic nuclei, that together comprise the majority of thalamic volume and that were previously mysterious in function, we now suggest are critically involved in information flow and functional, dynamic binding between cortical areas via cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways. We propose to study these pathways using the mouse somatosensory system as the model involving both in vitro slice preparations and an in vivo behaving preparation. It appears that, in many and perhaps all cases, cortical areas are connected by both direct and these transthalamic pathways. The transthalamic pathways are only recently appreciated, and we aim to explore some basic roles such pathways play in cortical processing. To begin understanding the role of such pathways, we propose to probe basic circuit properties of these pathways to better understand the role of the transthalamic pathways in higher cognitive functioning.