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Cortes N, Ladret HJ, Abbas-Farishta R, Casanova C. The pulvinar as a hub of visual processing and cortical integration. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:120-134. [PMID: 38143202 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
The pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is a crucial component of the visual system and plays significant roles in sensory processing and cognitive integration. The pulvinar's extensive connectivity with cortical regions allows for bidirectional communication, contributing to the integration of sensory information across the visual hierarchy. Recent findings underscore the pulvinar's involvement in attentional modulation, feature binding, and predictive coding. In this review, we highlight recent advances in clarifying the pulvinar's circuitry and function. We discuss the contributions of the pulvinar to signal modulation across the global cortical network and place these findings within theoretical frameworks of cortical processing, particularly the global neuronal workspace (GNW) theory and predictive coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Cortes
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hugo J Ladret
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Reza Abbas-Farishta
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christian Casanova
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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2
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Schneider L, Dominguez-Vargas AU, Gibson L, Wilke M, Kagan I. Visual, delay, and oculomotor timing and tuning in macaque dorsal pulvinar during instructed and free choice memory saccades. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10877-10900. [PMID: 37724430 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Causal perturbations suggest that primate dorsal pulvinar plays a crucial role in target selection and saccade planning, though its basic neuronal properties remain unclear. Some functional aspects of dorsal pulvinar and interconnected frontoparietal areas-e.g. ipsilesional choice bias after inactivation-are similar. But it is unknown if dorsal pulvinar shares oculomotor properties of cortical circuitry, in particular delay and choice-related activity. We investigated such properties in macaque dorsal pulvinar during instructed and free-choice memory saccades. Most recorded units showed visual (12%), saccade-related (30%), or both types of responses (22%). Visual responses were primarily contralateral; diverse saccade-related responses were predominantly post-saccadic with a weak contralateral bias. Memory delay and pre-saccadic enhancement was infrequent (11-9%)-instead, activity was often suppressed during saccade planning (25%) and further during execution (15%). Surprisingly, only few units exhibited classical visuomotor patterns combining cue and continuous delay activity or pre-saccadic ramping; moreover, most spatially-selective neurons did not encode the upcoming decision during free-choice delay. Thus, in absence of a visible goal, the dorsal pulvinar has a limited role in prospective saccade planning, with patterns partially complementing its frontoparietal partners. Conversely, prevalent visual and post-saccadic responses imply its participation in integrating spatial goals with processing across saccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schneider
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, Goettingen 37075, Germany
| | - Adan-Ulises Dominguez-Vargas
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Lydia Gibson
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, Goettingen 37075, Germany
| | - Melanie Wilke
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, Goettingen 37075, Germany
- DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy & Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB), Robert-Koch-Str. 40, Göttingen 37075, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
| | - Igor Kagan
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Kellnerweg 4, Goettingen 37077, Germany
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3
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Chen N, Ai H, Lu X. Context-dependent attentional spotlight in pulvinar-V1 interaction. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120341. [PMID: 37619793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is often described as a mental spotlight that enhances information processing at the attended location. Using fMRI, we investigated background connectivity between the pulvinar and V1 in relation to focused versus diffused attention allocation, in weak and strong crowding contexts. Our findings revealed that focused attention led to enhanced correlations between the pulvinar and V1. Notably, this modulation was initiated by the pulvinar, and the strength of the modulation was dependent on the saliency of the target. These findings suggest that the pulvinar initiates information reweighting to V1, which underlies attentional selection in cluttered scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nihong Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China; THU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hailin Ai
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Xincheng Lu
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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4
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Casanova C, Chalupa LM. The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and the pulvinar as essential partners for visual cortical functions. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1258393. [PMID: 37712093 PMCID: PMC10498387 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1258393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In most neuroscience textbooks, the thalamus is presented as a structure that relays sensory signals from visual, auditory, somatosensory, and gustatory receptors to the cerebral cortex. But the function of the thalamic nuclei goes beyond the simple transfer of information. This is especially true for the second-order nuclei, but also applies to first-order nuclei. First order thalamic nuclei receive information from the periphery, like the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which receives a direct input from the retina. In contrast, second order thalamic nuclei, like the pulvinar, receive minor or no input from the periphery, with the bulk of their input derived from cortical areas. The dLGN refines the information received from the retina by temporal decorrelation, thereby transmitting the most "relevant" signals to the visual cortex. The pulvinar is closely linked to virtually all visual cortical areas, and there is growing evidence that it is necessary for normal cortical processing and for aspects of visual cognition. In this article, we will discuss what we know and do not know about these structures and propose some thoughts based on the knowledge gained during the course of our careers. We hope that these thoughts will arouse curiosity about the visual thalamus and its important role, especially for the next generation of neuroscientists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leo M. Chalupa
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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5
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Shine JM. Adaptively navigating affordance landscapes: How interactions between the superior colliculus and thalamus coordinate complex, adaptive behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104921. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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6
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Conserved patterns of functional organization between cortex and thalamus in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201481119. [PMID: 35588455 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201481119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceNeuroanatomical tracing provides just a partial picture of information flow in the brain, because excitatory synapses are not all equal. Some strongly drive postsynaptic targets to transfer information, whereas others weakly modulate their responsiveness. Here, we show conserved patterns of synaptic function across somatosensory and visual thalamocortical circuits in mice involving higher-order thalamic nuclei. These nuclei serve as hubs in transthalamic or cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways. We report that feedforward transthalamic circuits in the somatosensory and visual systems operate to efficiently transmit information, whereas feedback transthalamic circuits act to modulate their target areas. These patterns may generalize to other brain systems and show how methods of synapse physiology and molecular biology can inform the exploration of brain circuitry and information processing.
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Martínez A, Tobe RH, Gaspar PA, Malinsky D, Dias EC, Sehatpour P, Lakatos P, Patel GH, Bermudez DH, Silipo G, Javitt DC. Disease-Specific Contribution of Pulvinar Dysfunction to Impaired Emotion Recognition in Schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:787383. [PMID: 35237135 PMCID: PMC8883821 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.787383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One important aspect for managing social interactions is the ability to perceive and respond to facial expressions rapidly and accurately. This ability is highly dependent upon intact processing within both cortical and subcortical components of the early visual pathways. Social cognitive deficits, including face emotion recognition (FER) deficits, are characteristic of several neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia (Sz) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, we investigated potential visual sensory contributions to FER deficits in Sz (n = 28, 8/20 female/male; age 21–54 years) and adult ASD (n = 20, 4/16 female/male; age 19–43 years) participants compared to neurotypical (n = 30, 8/22 female/male; age 19–54 years) controls using task-based fMRI during an implicit static/dynamic FER task. Compared to neurotypical controls, both Sz (d = 1.97) and ASD (d = 1.13) participants had significantly lower FER scores which interrelated with diminished activation of the superior temporal sulcus (STS). In Sz, STS deficits were predicted by reduced activation of early visual regions (d = 0.85, p = 0.002) and of the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus (d = 0.44, p = 0.042), along with impaired cortico-pulvinar interaction. By contrast, ASD participants showed patterns of increased early visual cortical (d = 1.03, p = 0.001) and pulvinar (d = 0.71, p = 0.015) activation. Large effect-size structural and histological abnormalities of pulvinar have previously been documented in Sz. Moreover, we have recently demonstrated impaired pulvinar activation to simple visual stimuli in Sz. Here, we provide the first demonstration of a disease-specific contribution of impaired pulvinar activation to social cognitive impairment in Sz.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antígona Martínez
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Antígona Martínez,
| | - Russell H. Tobe
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Pablo A. Gaspar
- Department of Psychiatry, Biomedical Neurosciences Institute, IMHAY, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel Malinsky
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Elisa C. Dias
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Pejman Sehatpour
- College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Peter Lakatos
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Gaurav H. Patel
- College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dalton H. Bermudez
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Gail Silipo
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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Cortes N, Abbas Farishta R, Ladret HJ, Casanova C. Corticothalamic Projections Gate Alpha Rhythms in the Pulvinar. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:787170. [PMID: 34938163 PMCID: PMC8685293 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.787170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Two types of corticothalamic (CT) terminals reach the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus, and their distribution varies according to the hierarchical level of the cortical area they originate from. While type 2 terminals are more abundant at lower hierarchical levels, terminals from higher cortical areas mostly exhibit type 1 axons. Such terminals also evoke different excitatory postsynaptic potential dynamic profiles, presenting facilitation for type 1 and depression for type 2. As the pulvinar is involved in the oscillatory regulation between intercortical areas, fundamental questions about the role of these different terminal types in the neuronal communication throughout the cortical hierarchy are yielded. Our theoretical results support that the co-action of the two types of terminals produces different oscillatory rhythms in pulvinar neurons. More precisely, terminal types 1 and 2 produce alpha-band oscillations at a specific range of connectivity weights. Such oscillatory activity is generated by an unstable transition of the balanced state network’s properties that it is found between the quiescent state and the stable asynchronous spike response state. While CT projections from areas 17 and 21a are arranged in the model as the empirical proportion of terminal types 1 and 2, the actions of these two cortical connections are antagonistic. As area 17 generates low-band oscillatory activity, cortical area 21a shifts pulvinar responses to stable asynchronous spiking activity and vice versa when area 17 produces an asynchronous state. To further investigate such oscillatory effects through corticothalamo-cortical projections, the transthalamic pathway, we created a cortical feedforward network of two cortical areas, 17 and 21a, with CT connections to a pulvinar-like network with two cortico-recipient compartments. With this model, the transthalamic pathway propagates alpha waves from the pulvinar to area 21a. This oscillatory transfer ceases when reciprocal connections from area 21a reach the pulvinar, closing the CT loop. Taken together, results of our model suggest that the pulvinar shows a bi-stable spiking activity, oscillatory or regular asynchronous spiking, whose responses are gated by the different activation of cortico-pulvinar projections from lower to higher-order areas such as areas 17 and 21a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Cortes
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Reza Abbas Farishta
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hugo J Ladret
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Christian Casanova
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Mease RA, Gonzalez AJ. Corticothalamic Pathways From Layer 5: Emerging Roles in Computation and Pathology. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:730211. [PMID: 34566583 PMCID: PMC8458899 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.730211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Large portions of the thalamus receive strong driving input from cortical layer 5 (L5) neurons but the role of this important pathway in cortical and thalamic computations is not well understood. L5-recipient "higher-order" thalamic regions participate in cortico-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits that are increasingly recognized to be (1) anatomically and functionally distinct from better-studied "first-order" CTC networks, and (2) integral to cortical activity related to learning and perception. Additionally, studies are beginning to elucidate the clinical relevance of these networks, as dysfunction across these pathways have been implicated in several pathological states. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding L5 CTC networks across sensory modalities and brain regions, particularly studies leveraging cell-type-specific tools that allow precise experimental access to L5 CTC circuits. We aim to provide a focused and accessible summary of the anatomical, physiological, and computational properties of L5-originating CTC networks, and outline their underappreciated contribution in pathology. We particularly seek to connect single-neuron and synaptic properties to network (dys)function and emerging theories of cortical computation, and highlight information processing in L5 CTC networks as a promising focus for computational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Mease
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Abbas Farishta R, Zouahi H, Casanova C. Distributions of vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2 in the visual thalamus and associated areas of the cat. J Comp Neurol 2021; 530:1112-1125. [PMID: 34468980 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate is packaged in vesicles via two main vesicular transporter (VGLUT) proteins, VGLUT1 and VGLUT2, which regulate its storage and release from synapses of excitatory neurons. Studies in rodents, primates, ferrets, and tree shrews suggest that these transporters may identify distinct subsets of excitatory projections in visual structures, particularly in thalamocortical pathways where they tend to correlate with modulatory and driver projections, respectively. Despite being a well-studied model of thalamocortical connectivity, little is known about their expression pattern in the cat visual system. To expand current knowledge on their distribution and how they correlated with known driver and modulator projecting sites, we examined the protein expression patterns of VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 in the visual thalamus of the cat (lateral geniculate nucleus and the pulvinar complex). We also studied their expression pattern in relevant visual structures projecting to or receiving significant thalamic projections, such as the primary visual cortex and the superior colliculus. Our results indicate that both VGLUTs are consistently present throughout the cat visual system and show laminar or nuclei specificity in their distribution, which suggests, as in other species, that VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 represent distinct populations of glutamatergic projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Abbas Farishta
- Laboratoire des neurosciences de la vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Hadjer Zouahi
- Laboratoire des neurosciences de la vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Christian Casanova
- Laboratoire des neurosciences de la vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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11
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Abbas Farishta R, Boire D, Casanova C. Hierarchical Organization of Corticothalamic Projections to the Pulvinar. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 1:tgaa030. [PMID: 34296104 PMCID: PMC8152833 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Signals from lower cortical visual areas travel to higher-order areas for further processing through cortico-cortical projections, organized in a hierarchical manner. These signals can also be transferred between cortical areas via alternative cortical transthalamic routes involving higher-order thalamic nuclei like the pulvinar. It is unknown whether the organization of transthalamic pathways may reflect the cortical hierarchy. Two axon terminal types have been identified in corticothalamic (CT) pathways: the types I (modulators) and II (drivers) characterized by thin axons with small terminals and by thick axons and large terminals, respectively. In cats, projections from V1 to the pulvinar complex comprise mainly type II terminals, whereas those from extrastriate areas include a combination of both terminals suggesting that the nature of CT terminals varies with the hierarchical order of visual areas. To test this hypothesis, distribution of CT terminals from area 21a was charted and compared with 3 other visual areas located at different hierarchical levels. Results demonstrate that the proportion of modulatory CT inputs increases along the hierarchical level of cortical areas. This organization of transthalamic pathways reflecting cortical hierarchy provides new and fundamental insights for the establishment of more accurate models of cortical signal processing along transthalamic cortical pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Boire
- École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Département d'anatomie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
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12
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Blot A, Roth MM, Gasler I, Javadzadeh M, Imhof F, Hofer SB. Visual intracortical and transthalamic pathways carry distinct information to cortical areas. Neuron 2021; 109:1996-2008.e6. [PMID: 33979633 PMCID: PMC8221812 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Sensory processing involves information flow between neocortical areas, assumed to rely on direct intracortical projections. However, cortical areas may also communicate indirectly via higher-order nuclei in the thalamus, such as the pulvinar or lateral posterior nucleus (LP) in the visual system of rodents. The fine-scale organization and function of these cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways remains unclear. We find that responses of mouse LP neurons projecting to higher visual areas likely derive from feedforward input from primary visual cortex (V1) combined with information from many cortical and subcortical areas, including superior colliculus. Signals from LP projections to different higher visual areas are tuned to specific features of visual stimuli and their locomotor context, distinct from the signals carried by direct intracortical projections from V1. Thus, visual transthalamic pathways are functionally specific to their cortical target, different from feedforward cortical pathways, and combine information from multiple brain regions, linking sensory signals with behavioral context. Transthalamic pathway through pulvinar indirectly connects lower to higher cortical areas This pathway combines input from V1 with that of many cortical and subcortical areas Pulvinar conveys distinct visual and motor information to different higher visual areas Direct intracortical and transthalamic pathways convey different information
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonin Blot
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK; Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Ioana Gasler
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK; Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mitra Javadzadeh
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK; Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabia Imhof
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sonja B Hofer
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK; Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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13
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Kastner S, Fiebelkorn IC, Eradath MK. Dynamic pulvino-cortical interactions in the primate attention network. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 65:10-19. [PMID: 32942125 PMCID: PMC7770054 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
While research in previous decades demonstrated a link between the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus and visual selective attention, the pulvinar's specific functional role has remained elusive. However, methodological advances in electrophysiological recordings in non-human primates, including simultaneous recordings in multiple brain regions, have recently begun to reveal the pulvinar's functional contributions to selective attention. These new findings suggest that the pulvinar is critical for the efficient transmission of sensory information within and between cortical regions, both synchronizing cortical activity across brain regions and controlling cortical excitability. These new findings further suggest that the pulvinar's influence on cortical processing is embedded in a dynamic selection process that balances sensory and motor functions within the large-scale network that directs selective attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States.
| | - Ian C Fiebelkorn
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States
| | - Manoj K Eradath
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States
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14
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de Souza BOF, Frigon ÉM, Tremblay-Laliberté R, Casanova C, Boire D. Laminar distribution of cortical projection neurons to the pulvinar: A comparative study in cats and mice. J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:2055-2069. [PMID: 33226127 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The cortical processing of visual information is thought to follow a hierarchical framework. This framework of connections between visual areas is based on the laminar patterns of direct feedforward and feedback cortico-cortical projections. However, this view ignores the cortico-thalamo-cortical projections to the pulvinar nucleus in the thalamus, which provides an alternative transthalamic information transfer between cortical areas. It was proposed that corticothalamic (CT) pathways follow a similar hierarchical pattern as cortico-cortical connections. Two main types of CT projections have been recognized: drivers and modulators. Drivers originate mainly in Layer 5 whereas modulators are from Layer 6. Little is known about the laminar distribution of these projections to the pulvinar across visual cortical areas. Here, we analyzed the distribution of CT neurons projecting to the lateral posterior (LP) thalamus in two species: cats and mice. Injections of the retrograde tracer fragment B of cholera toxin (CTb) were performed in the LP. The morphology and cortical laminar distribution of CTb-labeled neurons was assessed. In cats, neurons were mostly found in Layer 6 except in Area 17, where they were mostly in Layer 5. In contrast, CT neurons in mice were mostly located in Layer 6 across all areas. Thus, our results demonstrate that CT projections in mice do not follow the same organization as cats suggesting that the transthalamic pathways play distinct roles in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Éve-Marie Frigon
- Département d'Anatomie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
| | | | | | - Denis Boire
- Département d'Anatomie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada.,École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Guedj C, Vuilleumier P. Functional connectivity fingerprints of the human pulvinar: Decoding its role in cognition. Neuroimage 2020; 221:117162. [PMID: 32659353 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The pulvinar is the largest thalamic nucleus in the brain and considered as a key structure in sensory processing and attention. Although its anatomy is well known, in particular thanks to studies in non-human primates, its role in perception and cognition remains poorly understood. Here, we used resting-state functional connectivity from a large sample of high-resolution data provided by the Human Connectome Project, combined with a large-scale meta-analysis approach to segregate and characterize the functional organization of the pulvinar nucleus. We identified five clusters per pulvinar with distinct connectivity profiles and determined their respective co-activation patterns. Using the Neurosynth database, we then investigated the functional significance of these co-activation networks. Our results confirm the functional heterogeneity of the pulvinar, revealing clearcut differences across clusters in terms of their connectivity patterns and associated cognitive domains. While the anterior and lateral clusters appear to be involved in action and attention domains, the ventromedial and dorsomedial clusters may preferentially subserve emotional processes and saliency detection. In contrast, the inferior cluster shows less specificity but correlates with perception and memory processes. Collectively, our results suggest that the pulvinar underwrites different components of cognition, supporting a central role in the coordination of cortico-subcortical processes mediated by distributed brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole Guedj
- Neuroscience Department, Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, University Medical School of Geneva, Campus BIOTECH H8, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Neuroscience Department, Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, University Medical School of Geneva, Campus BIOTECH H8, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
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Pulvinar Modulates Synchrony across Visual Cortical Areas. Vision (Basel) 2020; 4:vision4020022. [PMID: 32290073 PMCID: PMC7357165 DOI: 10.3390/vision4020022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The cortical visual hierarchy communicates in different oscillatory ranges. While gamma waves influence the feedforward processing, alpha oscillations travel in the feedback direction. Little is known how this oscillatory cortical communication depends on an alternative route that involves the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus. We investigated whether the oscillatory coupling between the primary visual cortex (area 17) and area 21a depends on the transthalamic pathway involving the pulvinar in cats. To that end, visual evoked responses were recorded in areas 17 and 21a before, during and after inactivation of the pulvinar. Local field potentials were analyzed with Wavelet and Granger causality tools to determine the oscillatory coupling between layers. The results indicate that cortical oscillatory activity was enhanced during pulvinar inactivation, in particular for area 21a. In area 17, alpha band responses were represented in layers II/III. In area 21a, gamma oscillations, except for layer I, were significantly increased, especially in layer IV. Granger causality showed that the pulvinar modulated the oscillatory information between areas 17 and 21a in gamma and alpha bands for the feedforward and feedback processing, respectively. Together, these findings indicate that the pulvinar is involved in the mechanisms underlying oscillatory communication along the visual cortex.
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