Topic: thalamocortical network

Visual perception relies on a distributed thalamocortical network whose modes of interaction are governed by the neuromodulatory systems. Here we set out to test the hypothesis that bursts of noradrenaline from the locus coeruleus help to facilitate shifts in perception by increasing neural gain across the cortex and flattening the whole brain ‘energy landscape’. In line with our hypothesis, shifts in the perceptual interpretation of an ambiguous image were associated with peaks in pupil diameter – a correlate of adrenergic tone. We trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) to perform an analog

Absence seizures (ASs) are brief periods of lack of consciousness, characterized by 2.5-4 Hz spike-wave discharges in the thalamocortical network in the EEG. Together with ASs, 60% of children with ASs show neuropsychological comorbidities, including cognitive and mood impairments, that can be present before the epilepsy diagnosis and even after the seizures are pharmacologically controlled. Since cognitive alteration may be subtle and task-specific, their presence may be confounded by an anxiety-like phenotype, and no study has tested anxiety and memory in the same animal model of ASs. Using