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Background: This study aimed to provide an up-to-date account of the frequency of "the absence of interthalamic adhesion (AITA) as a risk factor or association" in healthy subjects and neuropsychiatric patients. Owing to the increased interest in the contribution of ITA to neurological function in previous literature, a meta-analysis of its frequency and sex dependency is required. Aim: This study aimed to study whether the AITA is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Settings and Design: This study is a meta-analysis and systemic review. Methods and Material: Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using the keywords "interthalamic adhesion," "massa intermedia," "adhesio interthalamica," and "adhesion" along with the Boolean operators (OR, AND, and NOT). Three reviewers independently assessed the abstracts and full texts for validation based on the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2019 for descriptive studies and RevMan 5.2 for comparative studies. Results: The incidence of absent ITA was 15.3% in healthy subjects and 28.76% in neuropsychiatric subjects. The relative probability of AITA was 2.30 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.96-2.70] in neuropsychiatric illness. Healthy men were 1.91 times more likely, and men with neuropsychiatric disorders were 1.82 times more likely to have absent ITA than women. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, a consistent association of AITA with psychiatric disorders was observed, rendering the condition to be treated as an associated risk factor affecting the function of the habenula nuclear complex via the stria medullaris thalami. A cohort or longitudinal study is needed to compare the incidence of psychiatric disorders in individuals with or without ITA and to calculate the attributed risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Developmental Delay (GDD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) are two of the most common presentations encountered by physicians taking care of children. GDD/ID is classified into non-syndromic GDD/ID, where GDD/ID is the sole evident clinical feature, or syndromic GDD/ID, where there are additional clinical features or co-morbidities present. Careful evaluation of children with GDD and ID, starting with detailed history followed by a thorough examination, remain the cornerstone for etiologic diagnosis. However, when initial history and examination fail to identify a probable underlying etiology, further genetic testing is warranted. In recent years, genetic testing has been shown to be the single most important diagnostic modality for clinicians evaluating children with non-syndromic GDD/ID. In this review, we discuss different genetic testing currently available, review common underlying copy-number variants and molecular pathways, explore the recent evidence and recommendations for genetic evaluation and discuss an approach to the diagnosis and management of children with non-syndromic GDD and ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is a kind of nervous system disease characterized by paroxysmal involuntary movements induced by sudden movements. Neuroimaging studies have found that there are structural changes or abnormal functional connectivity in the basal ganglia, thalamus, cortex and other brain regions in PKD patients. The weakened inhibitory and regulatory function of the basal ganglia to the thalamus or the dysfunction of the thalamus itself may cause over-activation of the cortical region, resulting in involuntary movements. Recent studies have found that abnormal cerebellar function plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PKD, and abnormal cerebellar cortex can affect its normal inhibitory effect on deep cerebellar nuclei, also leading to excessive activation of thalamic - cortical pathway. This paper reviewed the mechanism and research progress of PKD in recent years, mainly focusing on the basal ganglia-thalamic-cortical circuit and the cerebellar-thalamic-cortical circuit, so as to improve clinicians' understanding of the pathogenesis of movement disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-operative delirium (POD), a common post-operative complication that aects up to 73. 5% of surgical patients, could prolong hospital stays, triple mortality rates, cause long-term cognitive decline and dementia, and boost medical expenses. However, the underlying mechanisms, especially the circuit mechanisms of POD remain largely unclear. Previous studies demonstrated that cannabis use might cause delirium-like behavior through the endocannabinoid system (eCBs), a widely distributed retrograde presynaptic neuromodulator system. We also found that the prelimbic (PrL) and intralimbic (IL) prefrontal cortex, a crucial hub for cognition and emotion, was involved in the eCBs-associated general anesthesia recovery. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the role of eCBs in POD development, and further clarify its neuronal specificity and circuit specificity attributed to POD. Methods: According to a previous study, 2 h of 1.4% isoflurane anesthesia and simple laparotomy were conducted to establish the POD model in C57/BL6 mice aged 8–12 weeks. A battery of behavioral tests, including the buried food, open field, and Y maze tests, were performed at 24 h before anesthesia and surgery (AS) and 6 and 9 h after AS. The behavioral results were calculated as a composite Z score for the POD assessment. To explore the dynamics of eCBs and their eect on POD regulation, an endocannabinoid (eCB) sensor was microinjected into the PrL, and the antagonists (AM281 and hemopressin) and agonist (nabilone) of type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), were administered systemically or locally (into PrL). Chemogenetics, combined Cre-loxP and Flp-FRT system, were employed in mutant mice for neuronal specificity and circuit specificity observation. Results: After AS, the composite Z score significantly increased at 6 and 9 but not at 24 h, whereas blockade of CB1R systemically and intra-PrL could specifically decrease the composite Z score at 6 and 9 h after AS. Results of fiber photometry further confirmed that the activity of eCB in the PrL was enhanced by AS, especially in the Y maze test at 6 h post-operatively. Moreove the activation of glutamatergic neurons in the PrL could reduce the composite Z score, which could be significantly reversed by exogenous cannabinoid (nabilone) at 6 and 9 h post-operatively. However, activation of GABAergic neurons only decreased composite Z score at 9 h post-operatively, with no response to nabilone application. Further study revealed the glutamatergic projection from mediodorsal thalamus (MD) to PrL glutamatergic neurons, but not hippocampus (HIP)-PrL circuit, was in charge of the eect of eCBs on POD. Conclusion: Our study firstly demonstrated the involvement of eCBs in the POD pathogenesis and further revealed that the eCBs may regulate POD through the specific MDglu-PrLglu circuit. These findings not only partly revealed the molecular and circuit mechanisms of POD, but also provided an applicable candidate for the clinical prevention and treatment of POD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-invasive neuromodulation represents a major opportunity for brain interventions, and transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is one of the most promising approaches. However, some challenges prevent the community from fully understanding its outcomes. We aimed to address one of them and unravel the temporal dynamics of FUS effects in humans. Twenty-two healthy volunteers participated in the study. Eleven received FUS in the right inferior frontal cortex while the other 11 were stimulated in the right thalamus. Using a temporal dynamic approach, we compared resting-state fMRI seed-based functional connectivity obtained before and after FUS. We also assessed behavioural changes as measured with a task of reactive motor inhibition. Our findings reveal that the effects of FUS are predominantly time-constrained and spatially distributed in brain regions functionally connected with the directly stimulated area. In addition, mediation analysis highlighted that FUS applied in the right inferior cortex was associated with behavioural alterations which was directly explained by the applied acoustic pressure and the brain functional connectivity change we observed. Our study underscored that the biological effects of FUS are indicative of behavioural changes observed more than an hour following stimulation and are directly related to the applied acoustic pressure., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cognitive flexibility relies on hierarchically structured task representations that organize task contexts, relevant environmental features, and subordinate decisions. Despite ongoing interest in the human thalamus, its role in cognitive control has been understudied. This study explored thalamic representation and thalamocortical interactions that contribute to hierarchical cognitive control in humans. We found that several thalamic nuclei, including the anterior, mediodorsal, ventrolateral, and pulvinar nuclei, exhibited stronger evoked responses when subjects switch between task contexts. Decoding analysis revealed that thalamic activity encodes task contexts within the hierarchical task representations. To determine how thalamocortical interactions contribute to task representations, we developed a thalamocortical functional interaction model to predict task-related cortical representation. This data-driven model outperformed comparison models, particularly in predicting activity patterns in cortical regions that encode context representations. Collectively, our findings highlight the significant contribution of thalamic activity and thalamocortical interactions for contextually guided hierarchical cognitive control., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Understanding the neural mechanism of sensorimotor adaptation is essential to reveal how the brain learns from errors, a process driven by sensory prediction errors. While the previous literature has focused on cortical and cerebellar changes, the involvement of the thalamus has received less attention. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study aims to explore the neural substrates of learning from sensory prediction errors with an additional focus on the thalamus. Thirty participants adapted their goal-directed reaches to visual feedback rotations introduced in a step-wise manner, while reporting their predicted visual consequences of their movements intermittently. We found that adaptation initially engaged the cerebellum and fronto-parietal cortical regions, which persisted as adaptation progressed. By the end of adaptation, additional regions within the fronto-parietal cortex and medial pulvinar of the thalamus were recruited. Another finding was the involvement of bilateral medial dorsal nuclei, which showed a positive correlation with the level of motor adaptation. Notably, the gradual shift in the predicted hand movement consequences was associated with activity in the cerebellum, motor cortex and thalamus (ventral lateral, medial dorsal, and medial pulvinar). Our study presents clear evidence for an involvement of the thalamus, both classical 'motor' and higher-order nuclei, in error-based motor learning., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial or non-financial interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measures cortical hemodynamic changes, yet it cannot collect this information from subcortical structures, such as the thalamus, which is involved in several key functional networks. To address this drawback, we propose a machine-learning-based approach to predict cortical-thalamic functional connectivity using cortical fNIRS data. We applied graph convolutional networks (GCN) to two datasets obtained from healthy adults and neonates with early brain injuries, respectively. Each dataset contained fNIRS connectivity data as input to the predictive models, while the connectivity from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) served as training targets. GCN models performed better compared to conventional methods, such as support vector machine and feedforward fully connected artificial neural networks, on both identifying the connections as binary classification tasks, and regressing the quantified strengths of connections. We also propose the addition of inter-subject connections into the GCN kernels could improve performance and that GCN models are resilient to noise in fNIRS data. Our results show it is feasible to identify subcortical activity from cortical fNIRS recordings. The findings can potentially extend the use of fNIRS in clinical settings for brain monitoring in critically ill patients., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Each sensory modality has its own primary and secondary thalamic nuclei. While the primary thalamic nuclei are well understood to relay sensory information from the periphery to the cortex, the role of secondary sensory nuclei is elusive. We trained head-fixed mice to attend to one sensory modality while ignoring a second modality, namely to attend to touch and ignore vision, or vice versa. Arrays were used to record simultaneously from the secondary somatosensory thalamus (POm) and secondary visual thalamus (LP). In mice trained to respond to tactile stimuli and ignore visual stimuli, POm was robustly activated by touch and largely unresponsive to visual stimuli. A different pattern was observed when mice were trained to respond to visual stimuli and ignore touch, with POm now more robustly activated during visual trials. This POm activity was not explained by differences in movements (i.e. whisking, licking, pupil dilation) resulting from the two tasks. Post hoc histological reconstruction of array tracks through POm revealed that subregions varied in their degree of plasticity. LP exhibited similar phenomena. We conclude that behavioral training reshapes activity in secondary thalamic nuclei. Secondary nuclei respond to the same behaviorally relevant, reward-predicting stimuli regardless of stimulus modality., Competing Interests: GP, RB No competing interests declared, (© 2024, Petty and Bruno.)

Neural preconfigured activity patterns (nPAPs), conceptualized as organized activity parcellated into groups of neurons, have been proposed as building blocks for cognitive and sensory processing. However, their existence and function in motor networks have been scarcely studied. Here, we explore the possibility that nPAPs are present in the motor thalamus (VL/VM) and their potential contribution to motor-related activity. To this end, we developed a preparation where VL/VM multiunitary activity could be robustly recorded in mouse behavior evoked by primary motor cortex (M1) optogenetic stimulation and forelimb movements. VL/VM-evoked activity was organized as rigid stereotypical activity patterns at the single and population levels. These activity patterns were unable to dynamically adapt to different temporal architectures of M1 stimulation. Moreover, they were experience-independent, present in virtually all animals, and pairs of neurons with high correlations during M1-stimulation also presented higher correlations during spontaneous activity, confirming their preconfigured nature. Finally, subpopulations expressing specific M1-evoked patterns also displayed specific movement-related patterns. Our data demonstrate that the behaviorally related identity of specific neural subpopulations is tightly linked to nPAPs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In the neocortex, ~90 Hz ripples couple to ~12 Hz sleep spindles on the ~1 Hz Down-to-Up state transition during non-rapid eye movement sleep. This conjunction of sleep waves is critical for the consolidation of memories into long-term storage. The widespread co-occurrences of ripples ("co-ripples") may integrate information across the neocortex and hippocampus to facilitate consolidation. While the thalamus synchronizes spindles and Up states in the cortex for memory, it is not known whether it may also organize co-ripples. Using human intracranial recordings during NREM sleep, we investigated whether cortico-cortical co-ripples and hippocampo-cortical co-ripples are either: (1) driven by directly projected thalamic ripples; or (2) coordinated by propagating thalamic spindles or Up states. We found ripples in the anterior and posterior thalamus, with similar characteristics as hippocampal and cortical ripples, including having a center frequency of ~90 Hz and coupling to local spindles on the Down-to-Up state transition. However, thalamic ripples rarely co-occur or phase-lock with cortical or hippocampal ripples. By contrast, spindles and Up states that propagate from the thalamus strongly coordinate co-ripples in the cortex and hippocampus. Thus, thalamo-cortical spindles and Up states, rather than thalamic ripples, may provide input facilitating spatially distributed co-rippling that integrates information for memory consolidation during sleep in humans., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Dickey et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, neural ensembles in the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit responsible for encoding recent memories undergo reactivation to facilitate the process of memory consolidation. This reactivation is widely acknowledged as pivotal for the formation of stable memory and its impairment is closely associated with memory dysfunction. To date, the neural mechanisms driving the reactivation of neural ensembles during NREM sleep remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the neural ensembles in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) that encode spatial experiences exhibit reactivation during NREM sleep. Notably, this reactivation consistently coincides with isolated theta waves. In addition, we found that the nucleus reuniens (RE) in the midline thalamus exhibits typical theta waves during NREM sleep, which are highly synchronized with those occurring in the MEC in male mice. Closed-loop optogenetic inhibition of the RE-MEC pathway specifically suppressed these isolated theta waves, resulting in impaired reactivation and compromised memory consolidation following a spatial memory task in male mice. The findings suggest that theta waves originating from the ventral midline thalamus play a role in initiating memory reactivation and consolidation during sleep., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Thalamocortical pathways from the rodent ventral posterior (VP) thalamic complex to the somatosensory cerebral cortex areas are a key model in modern neuroscience. However, beyond the intensively studied projection from medial VP (VPM) to the primary somatosensory area (S1), the wiring of these pathways remains poorly characterized. We combined micropopulation tract-tracing and single-cell transfection experiments to map the pathways arising from different portions of the VP complex in male mice. We found that pathways originating from different VP regions show differences in area/lamina arborization pattern and axonal varicosity size. Neurons from the rostral VPM subnucleus innervate trigeminal S1 in point-to-point fashion. In contrast, a caudal VPM subnucleus innervates heavily and topographically second somatosensory area (S2), but not S1. Neurons in a third, intermediate VPM subnucleus innervate through branched axons both S1 and S2, with markedly different laminar patterns in each area. A small anterodorsal subnucleus selectively innervates dysgranular S1. The parvicellular VPM subnucleus selectively targets the insular cortex and adjacent portions of S1 and S2. Neurons in the rostral part of the lateral VP nucleus (VPL) innervate spinal S1, while caudal VPL neurons simultaneously target S1 and S2. Rostral and caudal VP nuclei show complementary patterns of calcium-binding protein expression. In addition to the cortex, neurons in caudal VP subnuclei target the sensorimotor striatum. Our finding of a massive projection from VP to S2 separate from the VP projections to S1 adds critical anatomical evidence to the notion that different somatosensory submodalities are processed in parallel in S1 and S2., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 the authors.)

Cerebral white matter lesions prevent cortico-spinal descending inputs from effectively activating spinal motoneurons, leading to loss of motor control. However, in most cases, the damage to cortico-spinal axons is incomplete offering a potential target for therapies aimed at improving volitional muscle activation. Here we hypothesize that, by engaging direct excitatory connections to cortico-spinal motoneurons, stimulation of the motor thalamus could facilitate activation of surviving cortico-spinal fibers thereby immediately potentiating motor output. To test this hypothesis, we identify optimal thalamic targets and stimulation parameters that enhance upper-limb motor-evoked potentials and grip forces in anesthetized monkeys. This potentiation persists after white matter lesions. We replicate these results in humans during intra-operative testing. We then design a stimulation protocol that immediately improves strength and force control in a patient with a chronic white matter lesion. Our results show that electrical stimulation targeting surviving neural pathways can improve motor control after white matter lesions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Perceptual decisions rely on learned associations between sensory evidence and appropriate actions, involving the filtering and integration of relevant inputs to prepare and execute timely responses 1,2 . Despite the distributed nature of task-relevant representations 3-10 , it remains unclear how transformations between sensory input, evidence integration, motor planning and execution are orchestrated across brain areas and dimensions of neural activity. Here we addressed this question by recording brain-wide neural activity in mice learning to report changes in ambiguous visual input. After learning, evidence integration emerged across most brain areas in sparse neural populations that drive movement-preparatory activity. Visual responses evolved from transient activations in sensory areas to sustained representations in frontal-motor cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain and cerebellum, enabling parallel evidence accumulation. In areas that accumulate evidence, shared population activity patterns encode visual evidence and movement preparation, distinct from movement-execution dynamics. Activity in movement-preparatory subspace is driven by neurons integrating evidence, which collapses at movement onset, allowing the integration process to reset. Across premotor regions, evidence-integration timescales were independent of intrinsic regional dynamics, and thus depended on task experience. In summary, learning aligns evidence accumulation to action preparation in activity dynamics across dozens of brain regions. This leads to highly distributed and parallelized sensorimotor transformations during decision-making. Our work unifies concepts from decision-making and motor control fields into a brain-wide framework for understanding how sensory evidence controls actions., (© 2024. Crown.)

Audio-visual approaches involving visual inputs have laid the foundation for recent progress in speech separation. However, the optimization of the concurrent usage of auditory and visual inputs is still an active research area. Inspired by the cortico-thalamo-cortical circuit, in which the sensory processing mechanisms of different modalities modulate one another via the non-lemniscal sensory thalamus, we propose a novel cortico-thalamo-cortical neural network (CTCNet) for audio-visual speech separation (AVSS). First, the CTCNet learns hierarchical auditory and visual representations in a bottom-up manner in separate auditory and visual subnetworks, mimicking the functions of the auditory and visual cortical areas. Then, inspired by the large number of connections between cortical regions and the thalamus, the model fuses the auditory and visual information in a thalamic subnetwork through top-down connections. Finally, the model transmits this fused information back to the auditory and visual subnetworks, and the above process is repeated several times. The results of experiments on three speech separation benchmark datasets show that CTCNet remarkably outperforms existing AVSS methods with considerably fewer parameters. These results suggest that mimicking the anatomical connectome of the mammalian brain has great potential for advancing the development of deep neural networks.

Background: The thalamus plays a crucial role in transmitting nociceptive information to various cortical regions involving migraine-related allodynia and photophobia. Abnormal structural and functional alterations related to the thalamus have been well established. However, it is unknown whether the brain structure and function of the thalamic subregions are differentially affected in this disorder. In this study, we aimed to clarify this issue by comparing the structure and function of 16 thalamic subregions between patients with episodic migraine (EM) and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Twenty-seven patients with EM and 30 sex-, age- and education-matched HCs underwent resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Functional connectivity (rsFC), grey matter volume (GMV), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of each subregion of the thalamus were calculated and compared between the two groups. Furthermore, correlation analyses between neuroimaging changes and clinical features were performed in this study. Results: First, compared with HCs, patients with EM exhibited decreased rsFC between the anterior-medial-posterior subregions of the thalamus and brain regions mainly involved in the medial system of the pain processing pathway and default mode network (DMN). Second, for the whole thalamus and each of its subregions, there were no significant differences in GMV between patients with EM and HCs (P > 0.05, Bonferroni corrected). Third, there was no significant difference in DTI parameters between the two groups (P > 0.05). Finally, decreased rsFC was closely related to scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAMA) and Big Five Inventory (BFI) scales. Conclusion: Selective functional hypoconnectivity in the thalamic subregions provides neuroimaging evidence supporting the important role of thalamocortical pathway dysfunction in episodic migraine, specifically, that it may modulate emotion and different personality traits in migraine patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes can damage both the peripheral sensory organs, causing retinopathy, and the central visual system, leading to contrast sensitivity and impaired color vision in patients without retinopathy. Orientation discrimination is important for shape recognition by the visual system. Our psychophysical findings in this study show diminished orientation discrimination in patients with diabetes without retinopathy. To reveal the underlying mechanism, we established a diabetic mouse model and recorded in vivo electrophysiological data in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and primary visual cortex (V1). Reduced orientation selectivity was observed in both individual and populations of neurons in V1 and dLGN, which increased in severity with disease duration. This diabetes-associated neuronal dysfunction appeared earlier in the V1 than dLGN. Additionally, neuronal activity and signal-to-noise ratio are reduced in V1 neurons of diabetic mice, leading to a decreased capacity for information processing by V1 neurons. Notably, the V1 in diabetic mice exhibits reduced excitatory neuronal activity and lower levels of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Our findings show that altered responses of both populations of and single V1 neurons may impair fine vision, thus expanding our understanding of the underlying causes of diabetes-related impairment of the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human brain is a complex organ with an intricate neuronal connectivity and diverse functional regions. Neurological disorders often disrupt the delicate balance among these anatomical compartments, resulting in severe impairments. The available therapeutic options constitute an incomplete solution as many patients respond partially, highlighting the need for continued research into causes and treatments. Bottom-up approaches, like in vitro models, offer insights into brain functions as they recreate the in vivo microenvironment that allows studying how specific features affect physiological and pathological conditions. In this work, we engineered the cortical-striatal-thalamic (CST) circuit, involved in many brain functions such as action initiation and selection, using a three-compartment polymeric device. We characterized the emerging spontaneous electrophysiological activity by using Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs). Cortical neurons exhibited complex bursting activity, which influenced the entire circuit. Striatal and thalamic neurons displayed predominantly tonic firing when isolated, while interconnections with the cortex synchronized and organized their neuronal activity, highlighting the cortical pivotal role in bursting activity and information processing. The CST circuit demonstrated self-organization abilities and displayed high entropy values, indicative of dynamic richness and information encoding potential. Furthermore, we proved the CST's involvement in learning and memory. Our CST model provides a platform for further exploration into brain circuitry and potential therapeutic interventions, underscoring the necessity of realistic in vitro models to fully understand neurological diseases' pathophysiology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic and persistent widespread pain and generalized muscle tenderness, and it is refractory to treatment. The central nervous system (CNS) plays an important role, pain signalling, in fibromyalgia subjects. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been practiced for thousand years to treat many diseases that involve pain. We established fibromyalgia-like pain in mice using intermittent cold stress and investigated therapeutic effects and modes of action with EA. EA of 2 Hz and 1 mA was performed for 20 min at the ST36 acupoint in mice from Day 3 to Day 5. Our results showed that mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia were induced by intermittent cold stress (Day 5: mechanical: 1.43 ± 0.34 g; thermal: 3.98 ± 0.73 s) and were subsequently reversed by EA (Day 5: mechanical: 4.62 ± 0.48 g; thermal: 7.68 ± 0.68 s) or Trpv1−/− (Day 5: mechanical: 4.38 ± 0.51 g; thermal: 7.48 ± 0.98 s). Activity in the HMGB1, S100B, and TRPV1 pathways was increased in the mouse prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, thalamus, and amygdala with the stress treatment. This increase was attenuated by EA or Trpv1−/−. These results suggest potential targets for the treatment of TRPV1-dependant fibromyalgia pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidence has shown that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can result in abnormal energy metabolism and sleep disorders, even before motor dysfunction. Although the hypothalamus and thalamus are important structures in these processes, few ALS studies have reported abnormal MRI structural findings in the hypothalamus and thalamus. Purpose: We aimed to investigate volumetric changes in the thalamus and hypothalamus by using the automatic brain structure volumetry tool AccuBrain®. Methods: 3D T1-weighted magnetization-prepared gradient echo imaging (MPRAGE) scans were acquired from 16 patients with ALS with normal cognitive scores and 16 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls. Brain tissue and structure volumes were automatically calculated using AccuBrain®. Results: There were no significant differences in bilateral thalamic (F = 1.31, p = 0.287) or hypothalamic volumes (F = 1.65, p = 0.213) between the ALS and control groups by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Left and right hypothalamic volumes were correlated with whole-brain volume in patients with ALS (t = 3.19, p = 0.036; t = 3.03, p = 0.044), while the correlation between age and bilateral thalamic volumes tended to be significant after Bonferroni correction (t = 2.76, p = 0.068; t = 2.83, p = 0.06). In the control group, left and right thalamic volumes were correlated with whole-brain volume (t = 4.26, p = 0.004; t = 4.52, p = 0.004). Conclusion: Thalamic and hypothalamic volumes did not show differences between patients with normal frontotemporal function ALS and healthy controls, but further studies are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Thalamocortical circuit imbalance characterized by prefronto-thalamic hypoconnectivity and sensorimotor-thalamic hyperconnectivity has been consistently documented at rest in schizophrenia (SCZ). However, this thalamocortical imbalance has not been studied during task engagement to date, limiting our understanding of its role in cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Methods Both n-back working memory (WM) task-fMRI and resting-state fMRI data were collected from 172 patients with SCZ and 103 healthy control subjects (HC). A replication sample with 49 SCZ and 48 HC was independently obtained. Sixteen thalamic subdivisions were employed as seeds for the analysis. Results During both task-performance and rest, SCZ showed thalamic hyperconnectivity with sensorimotor cortices, but hypoconnectivity with prefrontal-cerebellar regions relative to controls. Higher sensorimotor-thalamic connectivity and lower prefronto-thalamic connectivity both relate to poorer WM performance (lower task accuracy and longer response time) and difficulties in discriminating target from nontarget (lower d′ score) in n-back task. The prefronto-thalamic hypoconnectivity and sensorimotor-thalamic hyperconnectivity were anti-correlated both in SCZ and HCs; this anti-correlation was more pronounced with less cognitive demand (rest>0-back>2-back). These findings replicated well in the second sample. Finally, the hypo- and hyper-connectivity patterns during resting-state positively correlated with the hypo- and hyper-connectivity during 2-back task-state in SCZ respectively. Conclusions The thalamocortical imbalance reflected by prefronto-thalamic hypoconnectivity and sensorimotor-thalamic hyperconnectivity is present both at rest and during task engagement in SCZ and relates to working memory performance. The frontal reduction, sensorimotor enhancement pattern of thalamocortical imbalance is a state-invariant feature of SCZ that affects a core cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventralis intermedius (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus has been successful in mitigating upper limb tremor, but the effect on gait and balance performance is unclear. Here, we aim to examine the effectiveness of VIM DBS on stride length variability, sway path length, and task-relevant tremor of various body segments in essential tremor (ET). Methods: Seventeen ET individuals treated with DBS (ET DBS) and 17 age-and sexmatched healthy controls (HC) performed a postural balance and overground walking task. In separate and consecutive visits, ET DBS performed gait and balance tasks with DBS ON or OFF. The main outcome measures were sway path length, stride length variability, and tremor quantified from upper limb, lower limb, upper and lower trunk (axial) during the gait and balance tasks. Results: With DBS OFF, ET DBS exhibited significantly greater stride length variability, sway path length, and tremor during gait and balance task relative to HC. Relative to DBS OFF, DBS ON reduced stride length variability and sway path length in ET DBS. The DBS-induced reduction in stride length variability was associated with the reduction in both upper trunk tremor and upper limb tremor. The DBS-induced reduction in sway path length was associated with the reduction in upper trunk tremor. Discussion: The findings of this study revealed that VIM DBS was effective in improving gait and balance in ET DBS and that improvements in gait and postural balance were associated with a reduction of axial tremor during the tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive flexibility is a fundamental ability that enables humans and animals to exhibit appropriate behaviors in various contexts. The thalamocortical interactions between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) have been identified as crucial for inferring temporal context, a critical component of cognitive flexibility. However, the neural mechanism responsible for context inference remains unknown. To address this issue, we propose a PFC-MD neural circuit model that utilizes a Hebbian plasticity rule to support rapid, online context inference. Specifically, the model MD thalamus can infer temporal contexts from prefrontal inputs within a few trials. This is achieved through the use of PFC-to-MD synaptic plasticity with pre-synaptic traces and adaptive thresholding, along with winner-take-all normalization in the MD. Furthermore, our model thalamus gates context-irrelevant neurons in the PFC, thus facilitating continual learning. We evaluate our model performance by having it sequentially learn various cognitive tasks. Incorporating an MD-like component alleviates catastrophic forgetting of previously learned contexts and demonstrates the transfer of knowledge to future contexts. Our work provides insight into how biological properties of thalamocortical circuits can be leveraged to achieve rapid context inference and continual learning., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Research into the role of thalamocortical circuits in anesthesia-induced unconsciousness is difficult due to anatomical and functional complexity. Prior neuroimaging studies have examined either the thalamus as a whole or focused on specific subregions, overlooking the distinct neuronal subtypes like core and matrix cells. We conducted a study of heathy volunteers and functional magnetic resonance imaging during conscious baseline, deep sedation, and recovery. We advanced the functional gradient mapping technique to delineate the functional geometry of thalamocortical circuits, within a framework of the unimodal-transmodal functional axis of the cortex. Here we show a significant shift in this geometry during deep sedation, marked by a transmodal-deficient geometry. This alteration is closely linked to the spatial variations in the matrix cell composition within the thalamus. This research bridges cellular and systems-level understanding, highlighting the crucial role of thalamic core-matrix functional architecture in understanding the neural mechanisms of states of consciousness., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Thalamic brain areas play an important role in adaptive behaviors. Nevertheless, the population dynamics of thalamic relays during learning across sensory modalities remain unknown. Using a cross-modal sensory reward-associative learning paradigm combined with deep brain two-photon calcium imaging of large populations of auditory thalamus (medial geniculate body, MGB) neurons in male mice, we identified that MGB neurons are biased towards reward predictors independent of modality. Additionally, functional classes of MGB neurons aligned with distinct task periods and behavioral outcomes, both dependent and independent of sensory modality. During non-sensory delay periods, MGB ensembles developed coherent neuronal representation as well as distinct co-activity network states reflecting predicted task outcome. These results demonstrate flexible cross-modal ensemble coding in auditory thalamus during adaptive learning and highlight its importance in brain-wide cross-modal computations during complex behavior., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The brain functions as a prediction machine, utilizing an internal model of the world to anticipate sensations and the outcomes of our actions. Discrepancies between expected and actual events, referred to as prediction errors, are leveraged to update the internal model and guide our attention towards unexpected events 1-10 . Despite the importance of prediction-error signals for various neural computations across the brain, surprisingly little is known about the neural circuit mechanisms responsible for their implementation. Here we describe a thalamocortical disinhibitory circuit that is required for generating sensory prediction-error signals in mouse primary visual cortex (V1). We show that violating animals' predictions by an unexpected visual stimulus preferentially boosts responses of the layer 2/3 V1 neurons that are most selective for that stimulus. Prediction errors specifically amplify the unexpected visual input, rather than representing non-specific surprise or difference signals about how the visual input deviates from the animal's predictions. This selective amplification is implemented by a cooperative mechanism requiring thalamic input from the pulvinar and cortical vasoactive-intestinal-peptide-expressing (VIP) inhibitory interneurons. In response to prediction errors, VIP neurons inhibit a specific subpopulation of somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons that gate excitatory pulvinar input to V1, resulting in specific pulvinar-driven response amplification of the most stimulus-selective neurons in V1. Therefore, the brain prioritizes unpredicted sensory information by selectively increasing the salience of unpredicted sensory features through the synergistic interaction of thalamic input and neocortical disinhibitory circuits., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the central thalamus (CT-DBS) has potential for modulating states of consciousness, but it can also trigger electrographic seizures, including poly-spike-wave trains (PSWT)., Objectives: To report the probability of inducing PSWTs during CT-DBS in awake, freely-moving mice., Methods: Mice were implanted with electrodes to deliver unilateral and bilateral CT-DBS at different frequencies while recording electroencephalogram (EEG). We titrated stimulation current by gradually increasing it at each frequency until a PSWT appeared. Subsequent stimulations to test arousal modulation were performed at the current one step below the current that caused a PSWT during titration., Results: In 2.21% of the test stimulations (10 out of 12 mice), CT-DBS caused PSWTs at currents lower than the titrated current, including currents as low as 20 μA., Conclusion: Our study found a small but significant probability of inducing PSWTs even after titration and at relatively low currents. EEG should be closely monitored for electrographic seizures when performing CT-DBS in both research and clinical settings., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Emery N. Brown holds patents on anesthetic state monitoring and control; holds founding interest in PASCALL, a start-up developing physiological monitoring systems; receives royalties from intellectual property through Massachusetts General Hospital licensed to Masimo. The interests of Emery N. Brown were reviewed and are managed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Brigham in accordance with their conflict of interest policies. The rest of the authors do not have any interest to report., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Adolescent inhibition of thalamocortical projections from postnatal days P20 to 50 leads to long-lasting deficits in prefrontal cortex function and cognition in the adult mouse. While this suggests a role of thalamic activity in prefrontal cortex maturation, it is unclear how inhibition of these projections affects prefrontal circuitry during adolescence. Here, we used chemogenetic tools to inhibit thalamoprefrontal projections in male/female mice from P20 to P35 and measured synaptic inputs to prefrontal pyramidal neurons by layer (either II/III or V/VI) and projection target (mediodorsal thalamus (MD), nucleus accumbens (NAc), or callosal prefrontal projections) 24 h later using slice physiology. We found a decrease in the frequency of excitatory and inhibitory currents in layer II/III NAc and layer V/VI MD-projecting neurons while layer V/VI NAc-projecting neurons showed an increase in the amplitude of excitatory and inhibitory currents. Regarding cortical projections, the frequency of inhibitory but not excitatory currents was enhanced in contralateral mPFC-projecting neurons. Notably, despite these complex changes in individual levels of excitation and inhibition, the overall balance between excitation and inhibition in each cell was only altered in the contralateral mPFC projections. This finding suggests homeostatic regulation occurs within subcortically but not intracortical callosal-projecting neurons. Increased inhibition of intraprefrontal connectivity may therefore be particularly important for prefrontal cortex circuit maturation. Finally, we observed cognitive deficits in the adult mouse using this narrowed window of thalamocortical inhibition., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 Petersen et al.)

Primates must adapt to changing environments by optimizing their behavior to make beneficial choices. At the core of adaptive behavior is the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of the brain, which updates choice value through direct experience or knowledge-based inference. Here, we identify distinct neural circuitry underlying these two separate abilities. We designed two behavioral tasks in which two male macaque monkeys updated the values of certain items, either by directly experiencing changes in stimulus-reward associations, or by inferring the value of unexperienced items based on the task's rules. Chemogenetic silencing of bilateral OFC combined with mathematical model-fitting analysis revealed that monkey OFC is involved in updating item value based on both experience and inference. In vivo imaging of chemogenetic receptors by positron emission tomography allowed us to map projections from the OFC to the rostromedial caudate nucleus (rmCD) and the medial part of the mediodorsal thalamus (MDm). Chemogenetic silencing of the OFC-rmCD pathway impaired experience-based value updating, while silencing the OFC-MDm pathway impaired inference-based value updating. Our results thus demonstrate dissociable contributions of distinct OFC projections to different behavioral strategies, and provide new insights into the neural basis of value-based adaptive decision-making in primates., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The cerebral cortex contains multiple, distinct areas that individually perform specific computations. A particular strength of the cortex is the communication of signals between cortical areas that allows the outputs of these compartmentalized computations to influence and build on each other, thereby dramatically increasing the processing power of the cortex and its role in sensation, action, and cognition. Determining how the cortex communicates signals between individual areas is, therefore, critical for understanding cortical function. Historically, corticocortical communication was thought to occur exclusively by direct anatomical connections between areas that often sequentially linked cortical areas in a hierarchical fashion. More recently, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral evidence is accumulating indicating a role for the higher-order thalamus in corticocortical communication. Specifically, the transthalamic pathway involves projections from one area of the cortex to neurons in the higher-order thalamus that, in turn, project to another area of the cortex. Here, we consider the evidence for and implications of having two routes for corticocortical communication with an emphasis on unique processing available in the transthalamic pathway and the consequences of disorders and diseases that affect transthalamic communication., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 the authors.)

Synaptic plasticities, such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), tune synaptic efficacy and are essential for learning and memory. Current studies of synaptic plasticity in humans are limited by a lack of adequate human models. Here, we modeled the thalamocortical system by fusing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived thalamic and cortical organoids. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed that >80% of cells in thalamic organoids were glutamatergic neurons. When fused to form thalamocortical assembloids, thalamic and cortical organoids formed reciprocal long-range axonal projections and reciprocal synapses detectable by light and electron microscopy, respectively. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and two-photon imaging, we characterized glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Thalamocortical and corticothalamic synapses displayed short-term plasticity analogous to that in animal models. LTP and LTD were reliably induced at both synapses; however, their mechanisms differed from those previously described in rodents. Thus, thalamocortical assembloids provide a model system for exploring synaptic plasticity in human circuits., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Current concepts of corticothalamic organization in the mammalian brain are mainly based on sensory systems, with less focus on circuits for higher-order cognitive functions. In sensory systems, first-order thalamic relays are driven by subcortical inputs and modulated by cortical feedback, while higher-order relays receive strong excitatory cortical inputs. The applicability of these principles beyond sensory systems is uncertain. We investigated mouse prefronto-thalamic projections to the midline thalamus, revealing distinct top-down control. Unlike sensory systems, this pathway relies on indirect modulation via the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). Specifically, the prelimbic area, which influences emotional and motivated behaviors, impacts instrumental avoidance responses through direct and indirect projections to the paraventricular thalamus. Both pathways promote defensive states, but the indirect pathway via the TRN is essential for organizing avoidance decisions through disinhibition. Our findings highlight intra-thalamic circuit dynamics that integrate cortical cognitive signals and their role in shaping complex behaviors., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 (mGlu8) is a heterogeneously expressed and poorly understood glutamate receptor with potential pharmacological significance. The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a critical inhibitory modulator of the thalamocortical-corticothalamic (TC-CT) network and plays a crucial role in information processing throughout the brain, is implicated in a variety of psychiatric conditions, and is also a site of significant mGlu8 expression. Using both male and female mice, we determined via fluorescent in situ hybridization that parvalbumin-expressing cells in the TRN core and shell matrices (identified by spp1+ and ecel1+ expression, respectively), as well as the cortical layers involved in CT signaling, express grm8 mRNA. We then assayed the physiological and behavioral impacts of perturbing grm8 signaling in the TC circuit through conditional (adeno-associated virus-CRE mediated) and cell-type-specific constitutive deletion strategies. We show that constitutive parvalbumin grm8 knock-out (PV grm8 knock-out) mice exhibited (1) increased spontaneous excitatory drive onto dorsal thalamus relay cells and (2) impaired sensorimotor gating, measured via paired-pulse inhibition, but observed no differences in locomotion and thigmotaxis in repeated bouts of open field test (OFT). Conversely, we observed hyperlocomotive phenotypes and anxiolytic effects of AAV-mediated conditional knockdown of grm8 in the TRN (TRN grm8 knockdown) in repeated OFT. Our findings underscore a role for mGlu8 in regulating excitatory neurotransmission as well as anxiety-related locomotor behavior and sensorimotor gating, revealing potential therapeutic applications for various neuropsychiatric disorders and guiding future research endeavors into mGlu8 signaling and TRN function., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 the authors.)

Perception is largely supported by cortical processing that involves communication among multiple areas, typically starting with primary sensory cortex and then involving higher order cortices. This communication is served in part by transthalamic (cortico-thalamo-cortical) pathways, which ubiquitously parallel direct corticocortical pathways, but their role in sensory processing has largely remained unexplored. Here, we suggest that transthalamic processing propagates task-relevant information required for correct sensory decisions. Using optogenetics, we specifically inhibited the pathway at its synapse in higher order somatosensory thalamus of mice performing a texture-based discrimination task. We concurrently monitored the cellular effects of inhibition in primary or secondary cortex using two-photon calcium imaging. Inhibition severely impaired performance despite intact direct corticocortical projections, thus challenging the purely corticocentric map of perception. Interestingly, the inhibition did not reduce overall cell responsiveness to texture stimulation in somatosensory cortex, but rather disrupted the texture selectivity of cells, a discriminability that develops over task learning. This discriminability was more disrupted in the secondary than primary somatosensory cortex, emphasizing the feedforward influence of the transthalamic route. Transthalamic pathways may therefore act to deliver performance-relevant information to higher order cortex and are underappreciated hierarchical pathways in perceptual decision-making., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Humans and other animals readily transition from externally to internally focused attention, and these transitions are accompanied by activation of the default mode network (DMN). The DMN was considered a cortical network, yet recent evidence suggests subcortical structures are also involved. We investigated the role of ventral pallidum (VP) and mediodorsal thalamus (MD) in DMN regulation in tree shrew, a close relative of primates. Electrophysiology and deep learning-based classification of behavioral states revealed gamma oscillations in VP and MD coordinated with gamma in anterior cingulate (AC) cortex during DMN states. Cross-frequency coupling between gamma and delta oscillations was higher during DMN than other behaviors, underscoring the engagement of MD, VP and AC. Our findings highlight the importance of VP and MD in DMN regulation, extend homologies in DMN regulation among mammals, and underline the importance of thalamus and basal forebrain to the regulation of DMN., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Functional interactions between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, as revealed by strong oscillatory synchronization in the theta (6-11 Hz) frequency range, correlate with memory-guided decision-making. However, the degree to which this form of long-range synchronization influences memory-guided choice remains unclear. We developed a brain-machine interface that initiated task trials based on the magnitude of prefrontal-hippocampal theta synchronization, then measured choice outcomes. Trials initiated based on strong prefrontal-hippocampal theta synchrony were more likely to be correct compared to control trials on both working memory-dependent and -independent tasks. Prefrontal-thalamic neural interactions increased with prefrontal-hippocampal synchrony and optogenetic activation of the ventral midline thalamus primarily entrained prefrontal theta rhythms, but dynamically modulated synchrony. Together, our results show that prefrontal-hippocampal theta synchronization leads to a higher probability of a correct choice and strengthens prefrontal-thalamic dialogue. Our findings reveal new insights into the neural circuit dynamics underlying memory-guided choices and highlight a promising technique to potentiate cognitive processes or behavior via brain-machine interfacing., Competing Interests: JS, AG, SK, HH, AG No competing interests declared, (© 2023, Stout et al.)

Slow-wave sleep (SWS), characterized by slow oscillations (SOs, <1Hz) of alternating active and silent states in the thalamocortical network, is a primary brain state during Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. In the last two decades, the traditional view of SWS as a global and uniform whole-brain state has been challenged by a growing body of evidence indicating that SO can be local and can coexist with wake-like activity. However, the mechanisms by which global and local SOs arise from micro-scale neuronal dynamics and network connectivity remain poorly understood. We developed a multi-scale, biophysically realistic human whole-brain thalamocortical network model capable of transitioning between the awake state and SWS, and we investigated the role of connectivity in the spatio-temporal dynamics of sleep SO. We found that the overall strength and a relative balance between long and short-range synaptic connections determined the network state. Importantly, for a range of synaptic strengths, the model demonstrated complex mixed SO states, where periods of synchronized global slow-wave activity were intermittent with the periods of asynchronous local slow-waves. An increase in the overall synaptic strength led to synchronized global SO, while a decrease in synaptic connectivity produced only local slow-waves that would not propagate beyond local areas. These results were compared to human data to validate probable models of biophysically realistic SO. The model producing mixed states provided the best match to the spatial coherence profile and the functional connectivity estimated from human subjects. These findings shed light on how the spatio-temporal properties of SO emerge from local and global cortical connectivity and provide a framework for further exploring the mechanisms and functions of SWS in health and disease., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Marsh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The dominant models of learning and memory, such as Hebbian plasticity, propose that experiences are transformed into memories through input-specific synaptic plasticity at the time of learning. However, synaptic plasticity is neither strictly input-specific nor restricted to the time of its induction. The impact of such forms of non-Hebbian plasticity on memory has been difficult to test, and hence poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that synaptic manipulations can deviate from the Hebbian model of learning, yet produce a lasting memory. First, we established a weak associative conditioning protocol in mice, where optogenetic stimulation of sensory thalamic input to the amygdala was paired with a footshock, but no detectable memory was formed. However, when the same input was potentiated minutes before or after, or even 24 hr later, the associative experience was converted into a lasting memory. Importantly, potentiating an independent input to the amygdala minutes but not 24 hr after the pairing produced a lasting memory. Thus, our findings suggest that the process of transformation of a transient experience into a memory is neither restricted to the time of the experience nor to the synapses triggered by it; instead, it can be influenced by past and future events., Competing Interests: IF, VK, WH, AM, NA, RF, JP, MC, SN No competing interests declared, (© 2023, Faress et al.)

Evidence suggests that subcortical structures play a role in high-level cognitive functions such as the allocation of spatial attention. While there is abundant evidence in humans for posterior alpha band oscillations being modulated by spatial attention, little is known about how subcortical regions contribute to these oscillatory modulations, particularly under varying conditions of cognitive challenge. In this study, we combined MEG and structural MRI data to investigate the role of subcortical structures in controlling the allocation of attentional resources by employing a cued spatial attention paradigm with varying levels of perceptual load. We asked whether hemispheric lateralization of volumetric measures of the thalamus and basal ganglia predicted the hemispheric modulation of alpha-band power. Lateral asymmetry of the globus pallidus, caudate nucleus, and thalamus predicted attention-related modulations of posterior alpha oscillations. When the perceptual load was applied to the target and the distractor was salient caudate nucleus asymmetry predicted alpha-band modulations. Globus pallidus was predictive of alpha-band modulations when either the target had a high load, or the distractor was salient, but not both. Finally, the asymmetry of the thalamus predicted alpha band modulation when neither component of the task was perceptually demanding. In addition to delivering new insight into the subcortical circuity controlling alpha oscillations with spatial attention, our finding might also have clinical applications. We provide a framework that could be followed for detecting how structural changes in subcortical regions that are associated with neurological disorders can be reflected in the modulation of oscillatory brain activity., Competing Interests: TG, CM, KG, TG, OJ No competing interests declared, (© 2023, Ghafari et al.)

Rodents continuously move their heads and whiskers in a coordinated manner while perceiving objects through whisker-touch. Studies in head-fixed rodents showed that the ventroposterior medial (VPM) and posterior medial (POm) thalamic nuclei code for whisker kinematics, with POm involvement reduced in awake animals. To examine VPM and POm involvement in coding head and whisker kinematics in awake, head-free conditions, we recorded thalamic neuronal activity and tracked head and whisker movements in male mice exploring an open arena. Using optogenetic tagging, we found that in freely moving mice, both nuclei equally coded whisker kinematics and robustly coded head kinematics. The fraction of neurons coding head kinematics increased after whisker trimming, ruling out whisker-mediated coding. Optogenetic activation of thalamic neurons evoked overt kinematic changes and increased the fraction of neurons leading changes in head kinematics. Our data suggest that VPM and POm integrate head and whisker information and can influence head kinematics during tactile perception., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The development of neural circuits has long-lasting effects on brain function, yet our understanding of early circuit development in humans remains limited. Here, periodic EEG power features and aperiodic components were examined from longitudinal EEGs collected from 592 healthy 2-44 month-old infants, revealing age-dependent nonlinear changes suggestive of distinct milestones in early brain maturation. Developmental changes in periodic peaks include (1) the presence and then absence of a 9-10 Hz alpha peak between 2-6 months, (2) nonlinear changes in high beta peaks (20-30 Hz) between 4-18 months, and (3) the emergence of a low beta peak (12-20 Hz) in some infants after six months of age. We hypothesized that the emergence of the low beta peak may reflect maturation of thalamocortical network development. Infant anesthesia studies observe that GABA-modulating anesthetics do not induce thalamocortical mediated frontal alpha coherence until 10-12 months of age. Using a small cohort of infants (n = 23) with EEG before and during GABA-modulating anesthesia, we provide preliminary evidence that infants with a low beta peak have higher anesthesia-induced alpha coherence compared to those without a low beta peak., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Layer 6 corticothalamic (L6 CT) neurons provide massive input to the thalamus, and these feedback connections enable the cortex to influence its own sensory input by modulating thalamic excitability. However, the functional role(s) feedback serves during sensory processing is unclear. One hypothesis is that CT feedback is under the control of extrasensory signals originating from higher-order cortical areas, yet we know nothing about the mechanisms of such control. It is also unclear whether such regulation is specific to CT neurons with distinct thalamic connectivity. Using mice (either sex) combined with in vitro electrophysiology techniques, optogenetics, and retrograde labeling, we describe studies of vibrissal primary motor cortex (vM1) influences on different CT neurons in the vibrissal primary somatosensory cortex (vS1) with distinct intrathalamic axonal projections. We found that vM1 inputs are highly selective, evoking stronger postsynaptic responses in CT neurons projecting to the dual ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPm) and posterior medial nucleus (POm) located in lower L6a than VPm-only-projecting CT cells in upper L6a. A targeted analysis of the specific cells and synapses involved revealed that the greater responsiveness of Dual CT neurons was due to their distinctive intrinsic membrane properties and synaptic mechanisms. These data demonstrate that vS1 has at least two discrete L6 CT subcircuits distinguished by their thalamic projection patterns, intrinsic physiology, and functional connectivity with vM1. Our results also provide insights into how a distinct CT subcircuit may serve specialized roles specific to contextual modulation of tactile-related sensory signals in the somatosensory thalamus during active vibrissa movements., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 Martinetti et al.)

Ventrointermediate thalamic stimulation (VIM-DBS) modulates oscillatory activity in a cortical network including primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, and parietal cortex. Here we show that, beyond the beneficial effects of VIM-DBS on motor execution, this form of invasive stimulation facilitates production of sequential finger movements that follow a repeated sequence. These results highlight the role of thalamo-cortical activity in motor learning., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Adaptive decision-making, which is often impaired in various psychiatric conditions, is essential for well-being. Recent evidence has indicated that decision-making capacity in multiple tasks could be accounted for by latent dimensions, enlightening the question of whether there is a common disruption of brain networks in economic decision-making across psychiatric conditions. Here, we addressed the issue by combining activation/lesion network mapping analyses with a transdiagnostic brain imaging meta-analysis. Our findings indicate that there were transdiagnostic alterations in the thalamus and ventral striatum during the decision or outcome stage of decision-making. The identified regions represent key nodes in a large-scale network, which is composed of multiple heterogeneous brain regions and plays a causal role in motivational functioning. The findings suggest that disturbances in the network associated with emotion- and reward-related processing play a key role in dysfunctions of decision-making observed in various psychiatric conditions. This study provides the first meta-analytic evidence of common neural alterations linked to deficits in economic decision-making., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors are unaware of any conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) neuromodulation has shown promise in animals but is challenging to translate to humans because of the thicker skull that heavily scatters ultrasound waves., Objective: We develop and disseminate a model-based navigation (MBN) tool for acoustic dose delivery in the presence of skull aberrations that is easy to use by non-specialists., Methods: We pre-compute acoustic beams for thousands of virtual transducer locations on the scalp of the subject under study. We use the hybrid angular spectrum solver mSOUND, which runs in ∼4 s per solve per CPU yielding pre-computation times under 1 h for scalp meshes with up to 4000 faces and a parallelization factor of 5. We combine this pre-computed set of beam solutions with optical tracking, thus allowing real-time display of the tFUS beam as the operator freely navigates the transducer around the subject' scalp. We assess the impact of MBN versus line-of-sight targeting (LOST) positioning in simulations of 13 subjects., Results: Our navigation tool has a display refresh rate of ∼10 Hz. In our simulations, MBN increased the acoustic dose in the thalamus and amygdala by 8-67 % compared to LOST and avoided complete target misses that affected 10-20 % of LOST cases. MBN also yielded a lower variability of the deposited dose across subjects than LOST., Conclusions: MBN may yield greater and more consistent (less variable) ultrasound dose deposition than transducer placement with line-of-sight targeting, and thus could become a helpful tool to improve the efficacy of tFUS neuromodulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest none., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Sleep spindles are one of the prominent EEG oscillatory rhythms of non-rapid eye movement sleep. In the memory consolidation, these oscillations have an important role in the processes of long-term potentiation and synaptic plasticity. Moreover, the activity (spindle density and/or sigma power) of spindles has a linear association with learning performance in different paradigms. According to the experimental observations, the sleep spindle activity can be improved by closed loop acoustic stimulations (CLAS) which eventually improve memory performance. To examine the effects of CLAS on spindles, we propose a biophysical thalamocortical model for slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles. In addition, closed loop stimulation protocols are applied on a thalamic network. Our model results show that the power of spindles is increased when stimulation cues are applied at the commencing of an SO Down-to-Up-state transition, but that activity gradually decreases when cues are applied with an increased time delay from this SO phase. Conversely, stimulation is not effective when cues are applied during the transition of an Up-to-Down-state. Furthermore, our model suggests that a strong inhibitory input from the reticular (RE) layer to the thalamocortical (TC) layer in the thalamic network shifts leads to an emergence of spindle activity at the Up-to-Down-state transition (rather than at Down-to-Up-state transition), and the spindle frequency is also reduced (8-11 Hz) by thalamic inhibition., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mushtaq et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In vivo calcium imaging of neural activity is an indispensable approach for understanding the mechanisms and functions of neural system. Development of advanced imaging tools and various genetically encoded calcium indicators allows us to simultaneously record the activity of different neural populations. Here, we present a protocol for acquiring neural activity of two discrete neural populations in mice using dual-color fiber photometry. We describe steps for injecting viral constructs and implanting the fiber optic through stereotaxic surgery, calcium signal acquisition, and data analysis. We also describe the incorporation of electroencephalogram and electromyography recordings with dual-color fiber photometry analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Shin et al. 1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, also referred to as paradoxical sleep for the striking resemblance of its electroencephalogram (EEG) to the one observed in wakefulness, is characterized by the occurrence of transient events such as limb twitches or facial and rapid eye movements. Here, we investigated the local activity of the primary somatosensory or barrel cortex (S1) in naturally sleeping head-fixed male mice during REM. Through local field potential recordings, we uncovered local appearances of spindle waves in the barrel cortex during REM concomitant with strong delta power, challenging the view of a wakefulness-like activity in REM. We further performed extra- and intracellular recordings of thalamic cells in head-fixed mice. Our data show high-frequency thalamic bursts of spikes and subthreshold spindle oscillations in approximately half of the neurons of the ventral posterior medial nucleus which further confirmed the thalamic origin of local cortical spindles in S1 in REM. Cortical spindle oscillations were suppressed, while thalamus spike firing increased, associated with rapid mouse whisker movements and S1 cortical activity transitioned to an activated state. During REM, the sensory thalamus and barrel cortex therefore alternate between high (wake-like) and low (non-REM sleep-like) activation states, potentially providing a neuronal substrate for mnemonic processes occurring during this paradoxical sleep stage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 the authors.)