Thalamic subnetworks as units of function
The thalamus engages in various functions including sensory processing, attention, decision making and memory. Classically, this diversity of function has been attributed to the nuclear organization of the thalamus, with each nucleus performing a well-defined function. Here, we highlight recent stud...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/148782 |
| _version_ | 1826212155889811456 |
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| author | Roy, Dheeraj S Zhang, Ying Halassa, Michael M Feng, Guoping |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Roy, Dheeraj S Zhang, Ying Halassa, Michael M Feng, Guoping |
| author_sort | Roy, Dheeraj S |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The thalamus engages in various functions including sensory processing, attention, decision making and memory. Classically, this diversity of function has been attributed to the nuclear organization of the thalamus, with each nucleus performing a well-defined function. Here, we highlight recent studies that used state-of-the-art expression profiling, which have revealed gene expression gradients at the single-cell level within and across thalamic nuclei. These gradients, combined with anatomical tracing and physiological analyses, point to previously unappreciated heterogeneity and redefine thalamic units of function on the basis of unique input-output connectivity patterns and gene expression. We propose that thalamic subnetworks, defined by the intersection of genetics, connectivity and computation, provide a more appropriate level of functional description; this notion is supported by behavioral phenotypes resulting from appropriately tailored perturbations. We provide several examples of thalamic subnetworks and suggest how this new perspective may both propel progress in basic neuroscience and reveal unique targets with therapeutic potential. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:17:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/148782 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:17:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1487822023-03-28T03:08:05Z Thalamic subnetworks as units of function Roy, Dheeraj S Zhang, Ying Halassa, Michael M Feng, Guoping Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences The thalamus engages in various functions including sensory processing, attention, decision making and memory. Classically, this diversity of function has been attributed to the nuclear organization of the thalamus, with each nucleus performing a well-defined function. Here, we highlight recent studies that used state-of-the-art expression profiling, which have revealed gene expression gradients at the single-cell level within and across thalamic nuclei. These gradients, combined with anatomical tracing and physiological analyses, point to previously unappreciated heterogeneity and redefine thalamic units of function on the basis of unique input-output connectivity patterns and gene expression. We propose that thalamic subnetworks, defined by the intersection of genetics, connectivity and computation, provide a more appropriate level of functional description; this notion is supported by behavioral phenotypes resulting from appropriately tailored perturbations. We provide several examples of thalamic subnetworks and suggest how this new perspective may both propel progress in basic neuroscience and reveal unique targets with therapeutic potential. 2023-03-27T14:34:37Z 2023-03-27T14:34:37Z 2022 2023-03-27T14:31:53Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/148782 Roy, Dheeraj S, Zhang, Ying, Halassa, Michael M and Feng, Guoping. 2022. "Thalamic subnetworks as units of function." Nature Neuroscience, 25 (2). en 10.1038/S41593-021-00996-1 Nature Neuroscience Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Springer Science and Business Media LLC PMC |
| spellingShingle | Roy, Dheeraj S Zhang, Ying Halassa, Michael M Feng, Guoping Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title | Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title_full | Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title_fullStr | Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title_short | Thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| title_sort | thalamic subnetworks as units of function |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/148782 |
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