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Thalamocortical Circuits (thalamocortical + circuit)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Selective GABAergic innervation of thalamic nuclei from zona incerta

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2002
P. Barthó
Abstract Thalamocortical circuits that govern cortical rhythms and ultimately effect sensory transmission consist of three major interconnected elements: excitatory thalamocortical and corticothalamic neurons and GABAergic cells in the reticular thalamic nucleus. Based on the present results, a fourth component has to be added to this scheme. GABAergic fibres from an extrareticular diencephalic source were found to selectively innervate relay cells located mainly in higher-order thalamic nuclei. The origin of this pathway was localized to zona incerta (ZI), known to receive collaterals from corticothalamic fibres. First-order nuclei were innervated only in zones showing a high density of calbindin-positive neurons. The large GABA-immunoreactive incertal terminals established multiple contacts preferentially on the proximal dendrites of relay cells via symmetrical synapses with multiple release sites. The distribution, ultrastructural characteristics and postsynaptic target selection of extrareticular terminals were similar to type II muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-positive boutons, which constituted up to 49% of all GABAergic terminals in the posterior nucleus. This suggests that a significant proportion of the GABAergic input into certain thalamic territories involved in higher-order functions may have extrareticular origin. Unlike the reticular nucleus, ZI receives peripheral and layer V cortical input but no thalamic feedback; it projects to brainstem centres and has extensive intranuclear recurrent collaterals. This indicates that ZI exerts a conceptually new type of inhibitory control over the thalamus. The proximally situated, multiple active zones of ZI terminals indicate a powerful influence on the firing properties of thalamic neurons, which is conveyed to multiple cortical areas via relay cells which have widespread projections to neocortex. [source]

A population-based model of the nonlinear dynamics of the thalamocortical feedback network displays intrinsic oscillations in the spindling (7,14 Hz) range

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2005
Nada A. B. Yousif
Abstract The thalamocortical network is modelled using the Wilson,Cowan equations for neuronal population activity. We show that this population model with biologically derived parameters possesses intrinsic nonlinear oscillatory dynamics, and that the frequency of oscillation lies within the spindle range. Spindle oscillations are an early sleep oscillation characterized by high-frequency bursts of action potentials followed by a period of quiescence, at a frequency of 7,14 Hz. Spindles are generally regarded as being generated by intrathalamic circuitry, as decorticated thalamic slices and the isolated thalamic reticular nucleus exhibit spindles. However, the role of cortical feedback has been shown to regulate and synchronize the oscillation. Previous modelling studies have mainly used conductance-based models and hence the mechanism relied upon the inclusion of ionic currents, particularly the T-type calcium current. Here we demonstrate that spindle-frequency oscillatory activity can also arise from the nonlinear dynamics of the thalamocortical circuit, and we use bifurcation analysis to examine the robustness of this oscillation in terms of the functional range of the parameters used in the model. The results suggest that the thalamocortical circuit has intrinsic nonlinear population dynamics which are capable of providing robust support for oscillatory activity within the frequency range of spindle oscillations. [source]

Oscillations in the basal ganglia under normal conditions and in movement disorders

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 10 2006
Plamen Gatev MD
Abstract A substantial body of work within the last decade has demonstrated that there is a variety of oscillatory phenomena that occur in the basal ganglia and in associated regions of the thalamus and cortex. Most of the earlier studies focused on recordings in rodents and primates. More recently, significant advances have been made in this field of research through the analysis of basal ganglia field potentials recorded from implanted deep brain stimulation electrodes in the basal ganglia of human patients with Parkinson's disease and other disorders. It now appears that oscillatory activity may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The most significant finding is that in Parkinson's disease synchronized oscillatory activity in the 10- to 35-Hz band (often termed ",-band") is prevalent in the basal ganglia,thalamocortical circuits, and that such activity can be reduced by dopaminergic treatments. The entrainment of large portions of these circuits may disrupt information processing in them and may lead to parkinsonian akinesia (and perhaps tremor). Although less firmly established than the role of oscillations in movement disorders, oscillatory activities at higher frequencies may also be a component of normal basal ganglia physiology. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society [source]

Extrastriatal dopaminergic dysfunction in tourette syndrome

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Thomas D. L. Steeves MD
Objective Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder presenting with tics and a constellation of nonmotor symptoms that includes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive,compulsive disorder, and impulse control disorders. Accumulated evidence from pharmacological trials and postmortem analyses suggests that abnormalities of dopaminergic neurotransmission play a key role in the pathogenesis of TS. A substantial body of evidence has also accrued to implicate regions outside the striatum in the generation of tics. Methods We initiated an [11C]FLB 457 positron emission tomography study in conjunction with an amphetamine challenge to evaluate extrastriatal dopamine (DA) D2/D3 receptor binding and DA release in a group of treatment-naive, adult TS patients compared with a group of age- and sex-matched controls. Results At baseline, TS patients showed decreased [11C]FLB 457 binding potentials bilaterally in cortical and subcortical regions outside the striatum, including the cingulate gyrus, middle and superior temporal gyrus, occipital cortex, insula, and thalamus. Amphetamine challenge induced DA release in both control and TS subjects bilaterally in many cortical regions; however, in TS patients, regions of increased DA release were significantly more widespread and extended more anteriorly to involve anterior cingulate and medial frontal gyri. Conversely, and in contrast to healthy controls, no significant DA release was noted in the thalami of TS patients. Interpretation These abnormalities of dopaminergic function localize to brain regions previously implicated in TS and suggest a mechanism for the hyperexcitability of thalamocortical circuits that has been documented in the disorder. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:170,181 [source]