Logo image
Neuropsychological evidence of multi-domain network hubs in the human thalamus
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Neuropsychological evidence of multi-domain network hubs in the human thalamus

Kai Hwang, James M. Shine, Joel Bruss, Daniel Tranel and Aaron Boes
eLife, Vol.10, e69480
10/08/2021
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.69480
PMCID: PMC8526062
PMID: 34622776
url
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.69480View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Hubs in the human brain support behaviors that arise from brain network interactions. Previous studies have identified hub regions in the human thalamus that are connected with multiple functional networks. However, the behavioral significance of thalamic hubs has yet to be established. Our framework predicts that thalamic subregions with strong hub properties are broadly involved in functions across multiple cognitive domains. To test this prediction, we studied human patients with focal thalamic lesions in conjunction with network analyses of the human thalamocortical functional connectome. In support of our prediction, lesions to thalamic subregions with stronger hub properties were associated with widespread deficits in executive, language, and memory functions, whereas lesions to thalamic subregions with weaker hub properties were associated with more limited deficits. These results highlight how a large-scale network model can broaden our understanding of thalamic function for human cognition.
Biology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics Science & Technology

Details

Logo image