Title: Brain-Wide Network Modulation by Oscillatory Activity in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus
Dr. Norio TAKATA - Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Aix-Marseille Université
INS - Faculté de Médecine, 27, Boulevard Jean Moulin
Marseille, 13005, France
Amphi 7The brain exhibits fluctuations in large-scale activity patterns during resting states, which are associated with various cognitive functions. However, the physiological mechanisms that coordinate the dynamics of brain-wide activity remains poorly understood.
The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is located between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. Based on its unique axonal innervation patterns, Novel Laureate Francis Crick hypothesized that the TRN acts as a “gatekeeper” of information flowing to the cortex through the thalamus. Therefore, the TRN could potentially regulate the spatiotemporal patterns of brain-wide activity. However, due to its thin structure, the activity of the TRN cannot be captured by fMRI.
To address this challenge, we developed an optical fiber photometry system to measure TRN activity, combined with whole-brain imaging using fMRI and optogenetic manipulation of TRN activity. We discovered that the TRN exhibits novel oscillatory activity, which modulates the strength of certain resting-state networks in the brain. Our findings reveal a physiological mechanism for whole-brain activity modulation by the TRN.
Zoom link: https://univ-amu-fr.zoom.us/j/86932285282?pwd=bjRWQ3ozd0ZiNFJOS2ZWSGlzcDFNdz09