Central thalamus modulates consciousness by controlling layer-specific cortical interactions
Michelle J. Redinbaugh, Jessica M. Phillips, Niranjan A. Kambi, Sounak Mohanta, Samantha Andryk, Gaven L. Dooley, Mohsen Afrasiabi, Aeyal Raz, Yuri B Saalmann
bioRxiv Preprint Server October 1, 2019 preprint DOI: 10.1101/776591 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational and experimental study |
|---|---|
| Population | Macaques |
| Key findings | Gamma-frequency stimulation of the central lateral thalamus counteracted neural changes associated with unconsciousness and restored consciousness in anesthetized macaques. |
Abstract
Consciousness is the capacity to experience one’s environment and internal states. The minimal mechanisms sufficient to produce this experience, the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), are thought to involve thalamocortical and intracortical interactions, but the key operations and circuit paths are unclear. We simultaneously recorded neural activity in central thalamus and across layers of fronto-parietal cortex in awake, sleeping and anesthetized macaques. Spiking activity was selectively reduced in deep cortical layers and thalamus during unconsciousness, as were intracolumnar and interareal interactions at alpha and gamma frequencies. Gamma-frequency stimulation, when focused on the central lateral thalamus of anesthetized macaques, counteracted these neural changes and restored consciousness. These findings suggest that the NCC involve both corticocortical feedforward and feedback pathways coordinated with intracolumnar and thalamocortical loops.