Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Neuron. 2019 Jan 16;101(2):321-336.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.023. Epub 2018 Dec 12.
Computational modeling of brain mechanisms of cognition has largely focused on the cortex, but recent experiments have shown that higher-order nuclei of the thalamus participate in major cognitive functions and are implicated in psychiatric disorders. Here, we show that a pulvino-cortical circuit model, composed of the pulvinar and two cortical areas, captures several physiological and behavioral observations related to the macaque pulvinar. Effective connections between the two cortical areas are gated by the pulvinar, allowing the pulvinar to shift the operation regime of these areas during attentional processing and working memory and resolve conflict in decision making. Furthermore, cortico-pulvinar projections that engage the thalamic reticular nucleus enable the pulvinar to estimate decision confidence. Finally, feedforward and feedback pulvino-cortical pathways participate in frequency-dependent inter-areal interactions that modify the relative hierarchical positions of cortical areas. Overall, our model suggests that the pulvinar provides crucial contextual modulation to cortical computations associated with cognition.
大脑认知机制的计算模型主要集中在大脑皮层上，但最近的实验表明，丘脑的高级核团参与了主要的认知功能，并与精神疾病有关。在这里，我们展示了一个由丘脑枕和两个皮质区域组成的丘脑枕皮质回路模型，该模型捕获了与猕猴丘脑枕相关的几个生理和行为观察结果。两个皮质区域之间的有效连接由丘脑枕控制，允许丘脑枕在注意力处理和工作记忆期间改变这些区域的操作模式，并在决策中解决冲突。此外，与丘脑网状核结合的皮质-丘脑枕投射使丘脑枕能够估计决策信心。最后，前馈和反馈丘脑枕皮质通路参与频率相关的区域间相互作用，改变皮质区域的相对层次位置。总的来说，我们的模型表明，丘脑枕为与认知相关的皮质计算提供了关键的上下文调制。
