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Updated: May 30, 2026

Electrophysiological Investigations of Retinogeniculate and Corticogeniculate Synapse Function
Published on: August 7, 2019
Selective optical drive of thalamic reticular nucleus generates thalamic bursts and cortical spindles
Michael M Halassa1, Joshua H Siegle, Jason T Ritt
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is hypothesized to regulate neocortical rhythms and behavioral states. Using optogenetics and multi-electrode recording in behaving mice, we found that brief selective drive of TRN switched the thalamocortical firing mode from tonic to bursting and generated state-dependent neocortical spindles. These findings provide causal support for the involvement of the TRN in state regulation in vivo and introduce a new model for addressing the role of this structure in behavior.
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