Thalamic Input to Orbitofrontal Cortex Drives Brain-wide, Frequency-Dependent Inhibition Mediated by GABA and Zona Incerta.

ABSTRACT: Anatomical and behavioral data suggest that the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex (VLO), which exhibits extensive connectivity and supports diverse sensory and cognitive processes, may exert global influence over brain activity. However, this hypothesis has never been tested directly. We applied optogenetic fMRI to drive various elements of VLO circuitry while visualizing the whole-brain response. Surprisingly, driving excitatory thalamocortical projections to VLO at low frequencies (5-10 Hz) evoked widespread, bilateral decreases in brain activity spanning multiple cortical and subcortical structures. This pattern was unique to thalamocortical projections, with direct stimulations of neither VLO nor thalamus eliciting such a response. High-frequency stimulations (25-40 Hz) of thalamocort

SUBMITTER: Weitz AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8720842 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature