Journal article
The Human Thalamus Is an Integrative Hub for Functional Brain Networks
The Journal of neuroscience, Vol.37(23), pp.5594-5607
06/07/2017
DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0067-17.2017
PMCID: PMC5469300
PMID: 28450543
Abstract
The thalamus is globally connected with distributed cortical regions, yet the functional significance of this extensive thalamocortical connectivity remains largely unknown. By performing graph-theoretic analyses on thalamocortical functional connectivity data collected from human participants, we found that most thalamic subdivisions display network properties that are capable of integrating multimodal information across diverse cortical functional networks. From a meta-analysis of a large dataset of functional brain-imaging experiments, we further found that the thalamus is involved in multiple cognitive functions. Finally, we found that focal thalamic lesions in humans have widespread distal effects, disrupting the modular organization of cortical functional networks. This converging evidence suggests that the human thalamus is a critical hub region that could integrate diverse information being processed throughout the cerebral cortex as well as maintain the modular structure of cortical functional networks.
The thalamus is traditionally viewed as a passive relay station of information from sensory organs or subcortical structures to the cortex. However, the thalamus has extensive connections with the entire cerebral cortex, which can also serve to integrate information processing between cortical regions. In this study, we demonstrate that multiple thalamic subdivisions display network properties that are capable of integrating information across multiple functional brain networks. Moreover, the thalamus is engaged by tasks requiring multiple cognitive functions. These findings support the idea that the thalamus is involved in integrating information across cortical networks.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Human Thalamus Is an Integrative Hub for Functional Brain Networks
- Creators
- Kai Hwang - Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720 kai.hwang@berkeley.eduMaxwell A Bertolero - Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720William B Liu - Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720Mark D'Esposito - Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of neuroscience, Vol.37(23), pp.5594-5607
- DOI
- 10.1523/jneurosci.0067-17.2017
- PMID
- 28450543
- PMCID
- PMC5469300
- NLM abbreviation
- J Neurosci
- ISSN
- 1529-2401
- eISSN
- 1529-2401
- Publisher
- United States
- Grant note
- R01 MH074457 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 NS079698 / NINDS NIH HHS F32 NS090757 / NINDS NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/07/2017
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984002479802771
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