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NeuroImage Nov 2020The pulvinar is the largest thalamic nucleus in the brain and considered as a key structure in sensory processing and attention. Although its anatomy is well known, in...
The pulvinar is the largest thalamic nucleus in the brain and considered as a key structure in sensory processing and attention. Although its anatomy is well known, in particular thanks to studies in non-human primates, its role in perception and cognition remains poorly understood. Here, we used resting-state functional connectivity from a large sample of high-resolution data provided by the Human Connectome Project, combined with a large-scale meta-analysis approach to segregate and characterize the functional organization of the pulvinar nucleus. We identified five clusters per pulvinar with distinct connectivity profiles and determined their respective co-activation patterns. Using the Neurosynth database, we then investigated the functional significance of these co-activation networks. Our results confirm the functional heterogeneity of the pulvinar, revealing clearcut differences across clusters in terms of their connectivity patterns and associated cognitive domains. While the anterior and lateral clusters appear to be involved in action and attention domains, the ventromedial and dorsomedial clusters may preferentially subserve emotional processes and saliency detection. In contrast, the inferior cluster shows less specificity but correlates with perception and memory processes. Collectively, our results suggest that the pulvinar underwrites different components of cognition, supporting a central role in the coordination of cortico-subcortical processes mediated by distributed brain networks.
Topics: Adult; Cerebral Cortex; Connectome; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Nerve Net; Pulvinar; Young Adult
PubMed: 32659353
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117162 -
The Journal of Comparative Neurology Aug 2002The present study used injections of neuroanatomical tracers to determine the subcortical connections of the caudal and rostral subdivisions of the dorsolateral area... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The present study used injections of neuroanatomical tracers to determine the subcortical connections of the caudal and rostral subdivisions of the dorsolateral area (DL) and the middle temporal crescent area (MT(C)) in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus), squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), and macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis and M. radiata). Emphasis was on connections with the pulvinar. Patterns of corticopulvinar connections were related to subdivisions of the inferior pulvinar (PI) defined by histochemical or immunocytochemical architecture. Connections of DL/MT(C) were with the PI subdivisions, PICM, PICL, and PIp; the lateral pulvinar (PL); and, more sparsely, the lateral portion of the medial pulvinar (PM). In squirrel monkeys, there was a tendency for caudal DL to have stronger connections with PICL than PICM and for rostral DL/MT(C) to have stronger connections with PICM than PICL. In all three primates, DL/MT(C) had reciprocal connections with the pulvinar and claustrum; received afferents from the locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, nucleus annularis, central superior nucleus, pontine reticular formation, lateral geniculate nucleus, paracentral nucleus, central medial nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, basal nucleus of the amygdala, and basal nucleus of Meynert/substantia innominata; and sent efferents to the pons, superior colliculus, reticular nucleus, caudate, and putamen. Projections from DL/MT(C) to the nucleus of the optic tract were also observed in squirrel and owl monkeys. Similarities in the subcortical connections of the dorsolateral region, especially those with the pulvinar, provide further support for the conclusion that the DL regions are homologous in the three primate groups.
Topics: Animals; Aotus trivirgatus; Biological Evolution; Biotin; Brain; Dextrans; Fluorescent Dyes; Macaca fascicularis; Macaca radiata; Phylogeny; Presynaptic Terminals; Pulvinar; Saimiri; Visual Cortex; Visual Fields; Visual Pathways; Visual Perception; Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate
PubMed: 12209852
DOI: 10.1002/cne.10298 -
Neuron Jun 2021The pulvinar (lateral posterior [LP]), like other higher-order thalamic nuclei, receives input from-and sends output to-multiple neocortical structures. In this issue of...
The pulvinar (lateral posterior [LP]), like other higher-order thalamic nuclei, receives input from-and sends output to-multiple neocortical structures. In this issue of Neuron, Blot et al. (2021) demonstrate that LP integrates multimodal inputs to put visual information in context.
Topics: Cognition; Neurons; Pulvinar; Thalamic Nuclei; Visual Perception
PubMed: 34139179
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.028 -
Epilepsia Jun 2024In patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who are not candidates for resective surgery, various thalamic nuclei, including the anterior, centromedian, and pulvinar... (Review)
Review
In patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who are not candidates for resective surgery, various thalamic nuclei, including the anterior, centromedian, and pulvinar nuclei, have been extensively investigated as targets for neuromodulation. However, the therapeutic effects of different targets for thalamic neuromodulation on various types of epilepsy are not well understood. Here, we present a 32-year-old patient with multifocal bilateral temporoparieto-occipital epilepsy and bilateral malformations of cortical development (MCDs) who underwent bilateral stereoelectroencephalographic (SEEG) recordings of the aforementioned three thalamic nuclei bilaterally. The change in the rate of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) from baseline were compared in temporal, central, parietal, and occipital regions after direct electrical stimulation (DES) of each thalamic nucleus. A significant decrease in the rate of IEDs (33% from baseline) in the posterior quadrant regions was noted in the ipsilateral as well as contralateral hemisphere following DES of the pulvinar. A scoping review was also performed to better understand the current standpoint of pulvinar thalamic stimulation in the treatment of DRE. The therapeutic effect of neuromodulation can differ among thalamic nuclei targets and epileptogenic zones (EZs). In patients with multifocal EZs with extensive MCDs, personalized thalamic targeting could be achieved through DES with thalamic SEEG electrodes.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Pulvinar; Drug Resistant Epilepsy; Electroencephalography; Deep Brain Stimulation; Stereotaxic Techniques; Proof of Concept Study; Thalamus; Male; Electric Stimulation Therapy
PubMed: 38625609
DOI: 10.1111/epi.17986 -
The Neuroradiology Journal Dec 2016This article reports the case of a 68-year-old patient with anti-HU antibodies paraneoplastic encephalitis. The clinical manifestations were atypical and the...
This article reports the case of a 68-year-old patient with anti-HU antibodies paraneoplastic encephalitis. The clinical manifestations were atypical and the paraclinical work-up, notably the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing bilateral posterior thalamic hyperintensities (pulvinar sign), misleadingly pointed towards a variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. After presenting the case, the differential diagnosis of the pulvinar sign is discussed along with other important diagnostic considerations.
Topics: Aged; Antibodies; ELAV Proteins; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System; Pulvinar
PubMed: 27558994
DOI: 10.1177/1971400916665373 -
International Journal of Geriatric... Aug 2020Although sleep disturbances are prevalent among patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), their neural substrates remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the neural...
OBJECTIVES
Although sleep disturbances are prevalent among patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), their neural substrates remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the neural substrates of sleep disturbances in patients with DLB.
METHODS
We evaluated sleep disturbances, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and brain glucose metabolism in 22 patients with probable DLB using actigraphy, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, respectively. Total sleep time (TST) and average activity count per minute (AAC) during sleep were calculated for seven consecutive days via actigraphy. We investigated associations between FDG uptake and the actigraphy parameters using Statistical Parametric Mapping version 12b. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to investigate associations among TST, AAC, and clinical symptoms. The level of statistical significance was set at P < .05. P values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg method for multiple comparisons. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00776347).
RESULTS
TST exhibited a significant positive association with FDG uptake in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and left thalamus, while AAC exhibited a significant negative association with FDG uptake in the left thalamus and the left parieto-occipital region. FDG uptake in the left pulvinar was associated with both TST and AAC. In addition, TST exhibited a significant negative association with the NPI hallucinations score (r = -0.66, P = .001), while AAC exhibited significant positive associations with the NPI delusions (r = 0.70, P < .001) and hallucinations (r = 0.63, P = .002) scores.
CONCLUSIONS
TST and bodily activity during sleep are associated with dysfunction of the left pulvinar and the severity of hallucinations in patients with DLB.
Topics: Actigraphy; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Hallucinations; Humans; Lewy Body Disease; Positron-Emission Tomography; Pulvinar; Sleep; Thalamus
PubMed: 32346907
DOI: 10.1002/gps.5315 -
JAMA Neurology Aug 2016
Topics: Adult; Atrophy; Cognition Disorders; Fabry Disease; Female; Heart Diseases; Humans; Kidney Diseases; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuropsychological Tests; Pulvinar; alpha-Galactosidase
PubMed: 27323002
DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0268 -
Journal of Neuroradiology = Journal de... Oct 2014Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities of the pulvinar in patients with epilepsy have received greater attention, but their occurrence and features...
OBJECTIVE
Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities of the pulvinar in patients with epilepsy have received greater attention, but their occurrence and features have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the clinical and radiological features of patients with epilepsy who presented MRI abnormalities of the pulvinar.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
We retrospectively investigated 225 consecutive patients who came to our institute because of seizures and underwent an MRI within 24h. The patients who exhibited pulvinar MRI abnormalities, their profile, seizure type, efficacy of medication, and chronological changes of MRI findings were examined.
RESULTS
Out of the 225 patients who underwent MRI within 24h of seizure, 17 exhibited MRI abnormalities of the pulvinar. All of these 17 patients presented status epilepticus. Bilateral pulvinar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) hyperintensity was observed in 3 patients and unilateral pulvinar DWI hyperintensity in the other 14. Out of these 14 patients, 7 exhibited DWI hyperintensity in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex, and 10 patients presented an old lesion due to stroke or trauma.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrated that the involvement of the pulvinar in status epilepticus is more frequent than expected and consisted of unilateral or bilateral DWI hyperintensities that may completely normalize. These pulvinar MRI abnormalities possibly reflect the epileptogenic hyperexcitation of different cortical areas through their connections with the pulvinar.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Pulvinar; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Status Epilepticus
PubMed: 24485898
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurad.2013.09.003 -
Neuroscience Aug 2020The pulvinar is a higher-order thalamic relay and a central component of the extrageniculate visual pathway, with input from the superior colliculus and visual cortex...
The pulvinar is a higher-order thalamic relay and a central component of the extrageniculate visual pathway, with input from the superior colliculus and visual cortex and output to all of visual cortex. Rodent pulvinar, more commonly called the lateral posterior nucleus (LP), consists of three highly-conserved subdivisions, and offers the advantage of simplicity in its study compared to more subdivided primate pulvinar. Little is known about receptive field properties of LP, let alone whether functional differences exist between different LP subdivisions, making it difficult to understand what visual information is relayed and what kinds of computations the pulvinar might support. Here, we characterized single-cell response properties in two V1 recipient subdivisions of rat pulvinar, the rostromedial (LPrm) and lateral (LPl), and found that a fourth of the cells were selective for orientation, compared to half in V1, and that LP tuning widths were significantly broader. Response latencies were also significantly longer and preferred size more than three times larger on average than in V1; the latter suggesting pulvinar as a source of spatial context to V1. Between subdivisons, LPl cells preferred higher temporal frequencies, whereas LPrm showed a greater degree of direction selectivity and pattern motion detection. Taken together with known differences in connectivity patterns, these results suggest two separate visual feature processing channels in the pulvinar, one in LPl related to higher speed processing which likely derives from superior colliculus input, and the other in LPrm for motion processing derived through input from visual cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The pulvinar has a perplexing role in visual cognition as no clear link has been found between the functional properties of its neurons and behavioral deficits that arise when it is damaged. The pulvinar, called the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) in rats, is a higher order thalamic relay with input from the superior colliculus and visual cortex and output to all of visual cortex. By characterizing single-cell response properties in anatomically distinct subdivisions we found two separate visual feature processing channels in the pulvinar, one in lateral LP related to higher speed processing which likely derives from superior colliculus input, and the other in rostromedial LP for motion processing derived through input from visual cortex.
Topics: Animals; Lateral Thalamic Nuclei; Photic Stimulation; Pulvinar; Rats; Superior Colliculi; Visual Cortex; Visual Pathways
PubMed: 32599121
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.06.030 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Jul 2015The pulvinar is the largest nucleus in the primate thalamus and contains extensive, reciprocal connections with visual cortex. Although the anatomical and functional...
UNLABELLED
The pulvinar is the largest nucleus in the primate thalamus and contains extensive, reciprocal connections with visual cortex. Although the anatomical and functional organization of the pulvinar has been extensively studied in old and new world monkeys, little is known about the organization of the human pulvinar. Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T, we identified two visual field maps within the ventral pulvinar, referred to as vPul1 and vPul2. Both maps contain an inversion of contralateral visual space with the upper visual field represented ventrally and the lower visual field represented dorsally. vPul1 and vPul2 border each other at the vertical meridian and share a representation of foveal space with iso-eccentricity lines extending across areal borders. Additional, coarse representations of contralateral visual space were identified within ventral medial and dorsal lateral portions of the pulvinar. Connectivity analyses on functional and diffusion imaging data revealed a strong distinction in thalamocortical connectivity between the dorsal and ventral pulvinar. The two maps in the ventral pulvinar were most strongly connected with early and extrastriate visual areas. Given the shared eccentricity representation and similarity in cortical connectivity, we propose that these two maps form a distinct visual field map cluster and perform related functions. The dorsal pulvinar was most strongly connected with parietal and frontal areas. The functional and anatomical organization observed within the human pulvinar was similar to the organization of the pulvinar in other primate species.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
The anatomical organization and basic response properties of the visual pulvinar have been extensively studied in nonhuman primates. Yet, relatively little is known about the functional and anatomical organization of the human pulvinar. Using neuroimaging, we found multiple representations of visual space within the ventral human pulvinar and extensive topographically organized connectivity with visual cortex. This organization is similar to other nonhuman primates and provides additional support that the general organization of the pulvinar is consistent across the primate phylogenetic tree. These results suggest that the human pulvinar, like other primates, is well positioned to regulate corticocortical communication.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Brain Mapping; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory; Oxygen; Photic Stimulation; Phylogeny; Psychophysics; Pulvinar; Rest; Saccades; Visual Cortex; Visual Fields; Visual Pathways; Young Adult
PubMed: 26156987
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1575-14.2015