Journal article
Network Localization of Executive Function Deficits in Patients with Focal Thalamic Lesions
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, Vol.32(12), pp.2303-2319
12/2020
DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01628
PMID: 32902335
Abstract
The human thalamus has been suggested to be involved in executive function, based on animal studies and correlational evidence from functional neuroimaging in humans. Human lesion studies, examining behavioral deficits associated with focal brain injuries, can directly test the necessity of the human thalamus for executive function. The goal of our study was to determine the specific lesion location within the thalamus as well as the potential disruption of specific thalamocortical functional networks, related to executive dysfunction. We assessed executive function in 15 patients with focal thalamic lesions and 34 comparison patients with lesions that spared the thalamus. We found that patients with mediodorsal thalamic lesions exhibited more severe impairment in executive function when compared to both patients with thalamic lesions that spared the mediodorsal nucleus and to comparison patients with lesions outside the thalamus. Furthermore, we employed a lesion network mapping approach to map cortical regions that show strong functional connectivity with the lesioned thalamic subregions in the normative functional connectome. We found that thalamic lesion sites associated with more severe deficits in executive function showed stronger functional connectivity with ACC, dorsomedial PFC, and frontoparietal network, compared to thalamic lesions not associated with executive dysfunction. These are brain regions and functional networks whose dysfunction could contribute to impaired executive functioning. In aggregate, our findings provide new evidence that delineates a thalamocortical network for executive function.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Network Localization of Executive Function Deficits in Patients with Focal Thalamic Lesions
- Creators
- Kai Hwang - The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsJoel Bruss - The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsDaniel Tranel - The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsAaron D Boes - The University of Iowa, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of cognitive neuroscience, Vol.32(12), pp.2303-2319
- DOI
- 10.1162/jocn_a_01628
- PMID
- 32902335
- NLM abbreviation
- J Cogn Neurosci
- ISSN
- 0898-929X
- eISSN
- 1530-8898
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2020
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Neurology; Psychiatry; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neurology (Pediatrics)
- Record Identifier
- 9984070166602771
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