University of Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Neuron. 2024 Mar 20;112(6):893-908. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.002. Epub 2024 Jan 30.
Executive control, the ability to organize thoughts and action plans in real time, is a defining feature of higher cognition. Classical theories have emphasized cortical contributions to this process, but recent studies have reinvigorated interest in the role of the thalamus. Although it is well established that local thalamic damage diminishes cognitive capacity, such observations have been difficult to inform functional models. Recent progress in experimental techniques is beginning to enrich our understanding of the anatomical, physiological, and computational substrates underlying thalamic engagement in executive control. In this review, we discuss this progress and particularly focus on the mediodorsal thalamus, which regulates the activity within and across frontal cortical areas. We end with a synthesis that highlights frontal thalamocortical interactions in cognitive computations and discusses its functional implications in normal and pathological conditions.
执行控制，即实时组织思想和行动计划的能力，是更高认知的一个决定性特征。经典理论强调了皮质对这一过程的贡献，但最近的研究重新激发了人们对丘脑作用的兴趣。尽管局部丘脑损伤会降低认知能力已被广泛证实，但这些观察结果很难为功能模型提供信息。实验技术的最新进展开始丰富我们对丘脑参与执行控制的解剖学、生理学和计算基础的理解。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了这一进展，特别是关注调节前额皮质区域内和跨区域活动的背内侧丘脑。最后我们进行了综合，强调了前额叶丘脑皮质相互作用在认知计算中的作用，并讨论了其在正常和病理条件下的功能意义。
