Dual function of thalamic low-vigilance state oscillations: rhythm-regulation and plasticity

Vincenzo Crunelli (1, 2) , Magor L Lőrincz (3) , William M Connelly (4) , Francois David (5) , Stuart W Hughes (6) , Régis C Lambert (7, 8) , Nathalie Leresche (7, 8) , Adam C Errington (9)

1 Department of Physiology and Biochemistry [Msida, Malta]
2 School of Bioscience - Neuroscience Division [Cardiff, UK]
3 Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Neuroscience - Research Group for Cellular and Network Neurophysiology [Szeged, Hungary]
4 John Curtin School of Medical Research - Eccles Institute of Neuroscience [Canberra, Australia]
5 CRNL - Centre de recherche en neurosciences de Lyon - Lyon Neuroscience Research Center
6 Vertex Pharmaceuticals [Oxford, UK]
7 IBPS - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine
8 NPS - Réseaux de neurones et rythmes physiopathologiques = Neuronal Networks and Physiopathological Rhythms
9 School of Medicine - Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute [Cardiff, UK]

During inattentive wakefulness and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the neocortex and thalamus cooperatively engage in rhythmic activities that are exquisitely reflected in the electroencephalogram as distinctive rhythms spanning a range of frequencies from <1 Hz slow waves to 13 Hz alpha waves. In the thalamus, these diverse activities emerge through the interaction of cell-intrinsic mechanisms and local and long-range synaptic inputs. One crucial feature, however, unifies thalamic oscillations of different frequencies: repetitive burst firing driven by voltage-dependent Ca2+ spikes. Recent evidence reveals that thalamic Ca2+ spikes are inextricably linked to global somatodendritic Ca2+ transients and are essential for several forms of thalamic plasticity. Thus, we here propose herein that alongside their rhythm-regulation function, thalamic oscillations of low-vigilance states have a plasticity function that, through modifications of synaptic strength and cellular excitability in local neuronal assemblies, can shape ongoing oscillations during inattention and NREM sleep and may potentially reconfigure thalamic networks for faithful information processing during attentive wakefulness.

Domaines: Neurobiologie

Vincenzo Crunelli, Magor L Lőrincz, William M Connelly, Francois David, Stuart W Hughes, et al.. Dual function of thalamic low-vigilance state oscillations: rhythm-regulation and plasticity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2018, 19 (2), pp.107-118. ⟨10.1038/nrn.2017.151⟩. ⟨hal-02323850⟩