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Specific connectivity optimizes learning in thalamocortical loops.

Kaushik J Lakshminarasimhan¹, Marjorie Xie¹, Jeremy D Cohen²

¹Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.

|April 11, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The thalamus shapes brain activity for motor control and working memory by optimizing connections between the cortex and thalamus. This structured connectivity allows the thalamus to precisely orchestrate cortical dynamics during learning.

Keywords:

CP: Neuroscience biologically plausible learning corticothalamic feedback meta-learning motor learning random feedback recurrent neural network thalamocortical loop thalamus working memory

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Thalamocortical loops are crucial for cognition and motor control.
The exact contribution of the thalamus to these functions remains unclear.
Thalamocortical synapse plasticity suggests a role in learning-dependent cortical dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the computational role of the thalamus based on corticothalamic connectivity structure.
To identify the optimal corticothalamic structure for biologically plausible learning.
To understand how thalamic function is tailored for different cognitive and motor tasks.

Main Methods:

Computational modeling to determine optimal corticothalamic connectivity.
Analysis of neural recordings from mice performing motor (grasping) and cognitive (delayed discrimination) tasks.
Investigating signal compression and communication patterns in corticothalamic projections.

Main Results:

Optimal corticothalamic structure depends on the task: efference copy for motor control, high variance communication for working memory.
Neural recordings in mice showed corticothalamic communication patterns consistent with these predictions.
Demonstrated that the thalamus orchestrates cortical dynamics through specific connectivity structures.

Conclusions:

The structure of corticothalamic connectivity critically determines the thalamus's computational role.
The thalamus plays a functionally precise role in orchestrating cortical dynamics via specialized connectivity.
Findings elucidate how the thalamus contributes to distinct cognitive and motor functions.