Thalamocortical Contributions to Neural Dynamics and Behavior

Abstract

Abstract Neurons in the frontal cortex exhibit intricate dynamics during cognitive functions such as perception, motor planning, and decision-making. Recent studies have demonstrated contributions from non-sensory thalamic nuclei to cortical neural dynamics underlying cognitive and sensorimotor computations. In a memory-guided motor-planning task, interactions between motor thalamus and frontal cortex maintain low-dimensional cortical dynamics (dynamical modes). In this chapter, the authors propose a circuit-level computational framework, whereby interaction between excitatory and inhibitory assemblies in the cortex support dynamical modes, while subcortical structures, including the basal ganglia and brainstem, modulate thalamocortical circuits to control these dynamical modes for successful behavior. The authors review results supporting this computational framework and outline open questions for future work.