Contextual modulation of cortical processing by a higher-order thalamic input
Friday, November 13, 2020
06:00 UTC
Prof. Huizhong Tao
University of Southern Calfornia
Recording
Open recording
Hosted by NYU Swartz70 minutes
Abstract
Higher-order thalamic nuclei have extensive connections with various cortical areas. Yet their functionals roles remain not well understood. In our recent studies, using optogenetic and chemogenetic tools we manipulated the activity of a higher-order thalamic nucleus, the lateral posterior nucleus (LP, analogous to the primate pulvinar nucleus) and its projections and examined the effects on sensory discrimination and information processing functions in the cortex. We found an overall suppressive effect on layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the cortex, resulting in enhancements of sensory feature selectivities. These mechanisms are in place in contextual modulation of cortical processing, as well as in cross-modality modulation of sensory processing.
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