Abstract
The thalamic rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) are a contiguous band of neurons that include the central medial, paracentral, and central lateral nuclei. The rILN differ from both thalamic relay nuclei, such as the lateral geniculate nucleus, and caudal intralaminar nuclei, such as the parafascicular nucleus, in afferent and efferent connectivity as well as physiological and synaptic properties. rILN activity is associated with a range of neural functions and behaviors, including arousal, pain, executive function, and action control. Here, we review this evidence supporting a role for the rILN in integrating arousal, executive and motor feedback information. In light of rILN projections out to the striatum, amygdala, and sensory as well as executive cortices, we propose that such a function enables the rILN to modulate cognitive and motor resources to meet task-dependent behavioral engagement demands.
Highlights
The mammalian thalamus can be parcellated into ∼60 nuclei defined by cytoarchitecture and connectivity properties (Jones, 2007)
A second class of thalamic nuclei are referred to as higher-order association nuclei. These relay nuclei are noted for being innervated by a primary sensory cortical area and, in turn, project to the corresponding secondary sensory cortical region
The rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) are not a simple continuation of ascending reticular activating system (ARAS); rILN reciprocal connectivity with cortical regions and the basal ganglia elevates this thalamic center to a higher-order integration center
Summary
The mammalian thalamus can be parcellated into ∼60 nuclei defined by cytoarchitecture and connectivity properties (Jones, 2007). In addition to sensory-evoked activity, rILN neurons fire in response to a range of noxious stimuli with large receptive fields (Zhang and Zhao, 2010; Deng et al, 2020) Connectivity with both brainstem and limbic structures positions this thalamic region to participate in pain processing. In support of rILN hypofunction in schizophrenia, elimination of NMDA receptors from the intralaminar nuclei induces deficits in working memory, spatial memory, and attention in mice (Yasuda et al, 2017), which are cognitive deficits characteristic of schizophrenia (Mohamed et al, 1999) These animals exhibit altered sleep patterns and reduced cortical oscillatory activity; symptoms that are present in schizophrenia (Chan et al, 2017). Understanding how drugs of abuse influence rILN signaling may reveal novel therapeutic targets for addiction treatment
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