The pulvinar as a hub of visual processing and cortical integration

Cortes, Nelson; Ladret, Hugo J.; Abbas-Farishta, Reza; Casanova, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2023.11.008

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 133 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Together, these results reinforce the concept of pulvinar involvement in multimodal sensory integration and top-down attentional processing, consistent with recent literature (Saalmann et al 2012;Benarroch 2015;Fiebelkorn and Kastner 2020;Froesel et al 2021). They also align with the proposed role of pulvinar-cortical connectivity in enhancing communication and synchronization within cortical processing modules in a context-dependent and competitive manner (Rockland et al 1999;Cortes et al 2021Cortes et al , 2024Aussel et al 2023;Bastuji et al 2024).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The replication principle revisited: a shared functional organization between pulvinar-cortical and cortico-cortical connectivity and its structural and molecular imaging correlates

Basile,

Ielo,

Bonanno

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The pulvinar, the largest nucleus in the human thalamus, is a complex, highly interconnected structure. Through a dense, organized network of cortical and subcortical areas, it provides adequate cooperation between neural systems, which is crucial for multiple high-order functions such as perception, visuospatial attention, and emotional processing. Such a central role is made possible by a precise internal topographical organization, which is mirrored by anatomical connections as well as by the expression of neurochemical markers. While being traditionally subdivided into sub-nuclei, each characterized by distinct connectional and morphological features, recent studies in both primate and human brains have highlighted that this topographical organization only marginally aligns with the conventional histological subdivision. Instead, it has been delineated in the context of continuous gradients of cortical connections along the dorsoventral and mediolateral axes. While this multi-gradient organization has been extensively documented in primate models, it remains relatively underexplored in the human brain. The present work combines high-quality, multi-modal structural and functional imaging data with a recently published whole-brain, large-scale, positron emission tomography (PET) atlas detailing 19 neurotransmitters and receptors distributed across the human brain. By applying diffusion embedding analysis to tractography, functional connectivity, and receptor coexpression data, we identify and characterize multiple topographically organized gradients of structural connections, functional coactivation, and molecular binding patterns. We demonstrate that such gradients converge on a shared representation along the dorsoventral and mediolateral axes of the human pulvinar. This representation aligns with transitions in both structural and functional connectivity, spanning from lower-level to higher-order cortical regions. Moreover, it is paralleled by gradual changes in the expression of molecular markers associated with key neuromodulator systems, including serotoninergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic, and opioid systems. We contend that our findings mark a significant stride towards a more comprehensive understanding of pulvinar anatomy and function, providing a nuanced characterization of its role in health and disease.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The replication principle revisited: a shared functional organization between pulvinar-cortical and cortico-cortical connectivity and its structural and molecular imaging correlates

Basile,

Ielo,

Bonanno

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prior studies have demonstrated that impairment of the occipital lobe, the primary hub for visual processing, impedes the effective activation of the pulvinar nucleus, a key facilitator of visual processing acceleration. This impediment leads to challenges in processing visual perception along the ventral stream and, subsequently, action processing along the dorsal stream, thereby exacerbating delays in both perceiving and responding to multiple objects [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Consequently, a compromised visual pathway to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe is associated with inadequate acquisition of recognition information for behavior at the dorsal stream, potentially leading to behavioral alterations [ 21 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Relationship between Behavioral and Neurological Impairments Due to Mild Cognitive Impairment: Correlation Study between Virtual Kiosk Test and EEG-SSVEP

Kim,

Park

et al. 2024

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease, making early screening imperative for potential intervention and prevention of progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Therefore, there is a demand for research to identify effective and easy-to-use tools for aMCI screening. While behavioral tests in virtual reality environments have successfully captured behavioral features related to instrumental activities of daily living for aMCI screening, further investigations are necessary to establish connections between cognitive decline and neurological changes. Utilizing electroencephalography with steady-state visual evoked potentials, this study delved into the correlation between behavioral features recorded during virtual reality tests and neurological features obtained by measuring neural activity in the dorsal stream. As a result, this multimodal approach achieved an impressive screening accuracy of 98.38%.

show abstract

“…Aru et al, 2020; Storm et al, 2024), the circuit level conditions for awareness explored here fit well with many of the major neuronal theories of consciousness. The diffuse projections of the matrix-type thalamus may be a circuit level mechanism underlying the non-linear and widespread “ignition” response proposed by global neuronal workspace theory to underlie the transition from unconscious to conscious processing (Benitez et al, 2023; Cortes et al, 2023; Mashour et al, 2020). The improvement in signal-to-noise ratio associated with bursting aligns with signal detection theoretic versions of higher order theory (Lau, 2007), and the recurrent nature of matrix – L5PT loops could be considered a thalamocortical extension of the currently corticocentric recurrent processing theory (Lamme, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burst-dependent Thalamocortical Dynamics Underlie Perceptual Awareness

Whyte

Munn

Aru

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Investigations into the neural basis of conscious perception span multiple scales and levels of analysis. There is, however, a theoretical and methodological gap between advances made at the microscopic scale in animal models and those made at the macroscopic scale in human cognitive neuroscience that places a fundamental limit on our understanding of the neurobiological basis of consciousness. Here, we use computational modelling to bridge this gap. Specifically, we show that the same mechanism that underlies threshold detection in mice - apical dendrite mediated burst firing in thick-tufted layer V pyramidal neurons - determines perceptual dominance in a thalamocortical model of binocular rivalry - a staple task in the cognitive neuroscience of consciousness. The model conforms to the constraints imposed by decades of previous research into binocular rivalry and generalises to the more sophisticated rivalry tasks studied in humans generating novel, testable, explanations of the role of expectation and attention in rivalry. Our model, therefore, provides an empirically-tractable bridge between cellular-level mechanisms and conscious perception.

show abstract

The pulvinar as a hub of visual processing and cortical integration

Cited by 5 publications

References 133 publications

The replication principle revisited: a shared functional organization between pulvinar-cortical and cortico-cortical connectivity and its structural and molecular imaging correlates

The replication principle revisited: a shared functional organization between pulvinar-cortical and cortico-cortical connectivity and its structural and molecular imaging correlates

Exploring the Relationship between Behavioral and Neurological Impairments Due to Mild Cognitive Impairment: Correlation Study between Virtual Kiosk Test and EEG-SSVEP

Burst-dependent Thalamocortical Dynamics Underlie Perceptual Awareness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About