Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA.
Front Neural Circuits. 2014 Jun 24;8:69. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00069. eCollection 2014.
The thalamus is a key structure that controls the routing of information in the brain. Understanding modulation at the thalamic level is critical to understanding the flow of information to brain regions involved in cognitive functions, such as the neocortex, the hippocampus, and the basal ganglia. Modulators contribute the majority of synapses that thalamic cells receive, and the highest fraction of modulator synapses is found in thalamic nuclei interconnected with higher order cortical regions. In addition, disruption of modulators often translates into disabling disorders of executive behavior. However, modulation in thalamic nuclei such as the midline and intralaminar groups, which are interconnected with forebrain executive regions, has received little attention compared to sensory nuclei. Thalamic modulators are heterogeneous in regards to their origin, the neurotransmitter they use, and the effect on thalamic cells. Modulators also share some features, such as having small terminal boutons and activating metabotropic receptors on the cells they contact. I will review anatomical and physiological data on thalamic modulators with these goals: first, determine to what extent the evidence supports similar modulator functions across thalamic nuclei; and second, discuss the current evidence on modulation in the midline and intralaminar nuclei in relation to their role in executive function.
丘脑是控制大脑信息传递的关键结构。了解丘脑水平的调制对于理解信息流向参与认知功能的大脑区域（如新皮层、海马体和基底神经节）至关重要。调制物贡献了丘脑细胞接收的大部分突触，而在与高级皮质区域相互连接的丘脑核中，调制物突触的比例最高。此外，调制物的破坏通常会导致执行行为的障碍。然而，与感觉核相比，中脑和板内核群等与前脑执行区域相互连接的丘脑核中的调制作用受到的关注较少。丘脑调制物在起源、使用的神经递质以及对丘脑细胞的影响方面存在异质性。调制物还具有一些共同特征，例如具有小的终末小球，并在它们接触的细胞上激活代谢型受体。我将回顾有关丘脑调制物的解剖学和生理学数据，以期达到以下两个目标：首先，确定证据在多大程度上支持跨丘脑核的类似调制功能；其次，讨论中线和板内核群调制的现有证据，以及它们在执行功能中的作用。
