How the Cortex Controls the Thalamus
Description
The thalamus transforms and transfers information to the neocortex for further analysis, interpretation, action, and memory formation. This is not a unidirectional process; enormous descending pathways allow the cortex to modify its own thalamic input and help to determine the timing, gain, synchrony, rhythmicity, and spatial patterns of forebrain activity. I will describe some of cells, synapses (chemical and electrical), and circuits that allow the cortex to interact dynamically with the thalamus. I will also discuss how misregulation of mTOR signaling can modify thalamocortical dynamics by affecting neuronal excitability, dendritic complexity, and electrical coupling.
Speaker Bio
Barry Connors is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience. His research interests include the functions of cells, synapses, and circuits in the cerebral cortex and thalamus, and the mechanisms of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. He received his PhD in physiology and pharmacology from Duke University, was a postdoctoral fellow and faculty member at Stanford University, and moved to Brown in 1987. He served as Chair of the Department of Neuroscience from 2006 to 2016.