scholarly journals Central thalamus modulates consciousness by controlling layer-specific cortical interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle J. Redinbaugh ◽  
Jessica M. Phillips ◽  
Niranjan A. Kambi ◽  
Sounak Mohanta ◽  
Samantha Andryk ◽  
...  

AbstractConsciousness is the capacity to experience one’s environment and internal states. The minimal mechanisms sufficient to produce this experience, the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), are thought to involve thalamocortical and intracortical interactions, but the key operations and circuit paths are unclear. We simultaneously recorded neural activity in central thalamus and across layers of fronto-parietal cortex in awake, sleeping and anesthetized macaques. Spiking activity was selectively reduced in deep cortical layers and thalamus during unconsciousness, as were intracolumnar and interareal interactions at alpha and gamma frequencies. Gamma-frequency stimulation, when focused on the central lateral thalamus of anesthetized macaques, counteracted these neural changes and restored consciousness. These findings suggest that the NCC involve both corticocortical feedforward and feedback pathways coordinated with intracolumnar and thalamocortical loops.SummaryStimulation of central lateral thalamus counters anesthesia to restore wake cortical dynamics and consciousness.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parker Tichko ◽  
Ji Chul Kim ◽  
Edward Large ◽  
Psyche Loui

In recent years, music-based interventions (MBIs) have risen in popularity as a non-invasive, sustainable form of care for treating dementia-related disorders, such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Despite their clinical potential, evidence regarding the efficacy of MBIs on patient outcomes is mixed. Recently, a line of related research has begun to investigate the clinical impact of non-invasive Gamma-frequency (e.g., 40 Hz) sensory stimulation on dementia. Current work, using non-human-animal models of AD, suggests that non-invasive Gamma-frequency stimulation can remediate multiple pathophysiologies of dementia at the molecular, cellular, and neural-systems scales, and, importantly, improve cognitive functioning. These findings suggest that the efficacy of MBIs could, in theory, be enhanced by incorporating Gamma-frequency stimulation into current MBI protocols. In the current review, we propose a novel clinical framework for non-invasively treating dementia-related disorders that combines previous MBIs with current approaches employing Gamma-frequency sensory stimulation. We theorize that combining MBIs with Gamma-frequency stimulation could increase the therapeutic power of MBIs by simultaneously targeting multiple biomarkers of dementia, restoring neural activity that underlies learning and memory (e.g., Gamma-frequency neural activity, Theta-Gamma coupling), and actively engaging auditory and reward networks in the brain to promote behavioral change.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
François David ◽  
Mélodie Borel ◽  
Suleman Ayub ◽  
Patrick Ruther ◽  
Luc Gentet

Neocortical interneurons provide local inhibition responsible for organizing neuronal activity into brain oscillations that subserve several functions such as memory, attention and neuronal communication. However, little is known about the contribution of interneurons to the entrainment of neocortical oscillations across cortical layers. Here, using layer-specific optogenetic stimulations with micro-Light-Emitting-Diode (μLED) arrays, directed toward parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons in non-anesthetized awake mice, we find that supragranular layer stimulations of PV neurons were most efficient at entraining supragranular layer neurons and local field potential (LFP) oscillations at gamma frequencies (γ: 25 - 80 Hz), whereas infragranular layer stimulation of PV neurons better entrained delta (δ: 2 - 5 Hz) and theta (θ: 6 - 10 Hz) frequency LFP oscillations. We found that PV neurons tightly control the transmission of multiple rhythms to the network across cortical layers in an orientation-selective manner. Intrinsic resonant properties of neurons could underlie such layer-specific properties of rhythm entrainment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-249
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Omura

While a visiting Professor at the University of Paris, VI (formerly Sorvonne) more than 40 years ago, the Author became very good friends with Dr. Paul Nogier who periodically gave seminars and workshops in Paris. After the author diagnosed his cervical problem & offered him simple help, Dr. Nogier asked the Author to present lectures and demonstrations on the effects of ear stimulation, namely the effects of acupuncture & electrical stimulation of the ear lobules. It is only now, in 2019 that we have discovered 2–5 minute high frequency stimulation of the ear lobule inhibits cancer activity for 1– 4 hours post stimulation. Although the procedure is extremely simple. First take optimal dose of Vitamin D3, which has the most essential 10 unique beneficial factors required for every human cell activity. Next, apply high frequency stimulation to ear lobule while the worst ear lobule is held by all fingers with vibrator directly touching the surface of the worst ear lobule, preferably after patient repeatedly takes optimal dose of Vitamin D3. When the worst ear lobule is held between thumb & index fingers and applying mechanical stimulation of 250 ~ 500 mechanical vibration/second for 2 ~ 5 minutes using an electrical vibrator, there is rapid disappearance of cancer activity in both the brain and rest of the body for short time duration 1 ~ 4 hours. The effect often increases by additional pressure by holding fingers. As of May 2019, the Author found that many people from various regions of the world developed early stages of multiple cancers. For evaluation of this study, U. S. patented Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) was used which was developed by the Author while doing his Graduate experimental physics research at Colombia University. BDORT was found to be most essential for determining the beneficial effects as well as harmful effects of any substance or treatment. Using BDORT, Author was the first to recognize severe increasing mid-backache was an early sign of pancreatic cancer of President of New York State Board of Medicine after top pain specialists failed to detect the cause after 3 years of effort, while the BDORT showed early stages of cancer whereas conventional X-Ray of the pancreas did not show any cancer image until 2 months after Author detected with BDORT. For example, the optimal dose of the banana is usually about 2.0 - 2.5 millimeters cross section of the banana. A whole banana is more than 50 ~ 100 times the optimal dose. Any substance eaten in more than 25 times of its optimal dose becomes highly toxic and creates DNA mutations which can cause multiple malignancies in the presence of strong electro-magnetic field. With standard medication given by doctor, patients often become sick and they are unable to reduce body weight, unless medication is reduced or completely stopped. When the amount of zinc is very high, DNA often becomes unstable and multiple cancers can grow rapidly in the presence of strong electromagnetic field. Large amount of Vitamin C from regular orange or orange juice inhibit the most important Vitamin D3 effects. At least 3 kinds of low Vitamin C oranges will not inhibit Vitamin D3. Since B12 particularly methyl cobalamin which is a red small tablet is known to improve brain circulation very significantly we examined its effect within 20 seconds of oral intake we found the following very significant changes. Acetylcholine in both sides of the brain often increases over 4,500 ng. Longevity gene Sirtuin 1 level increases significantly for short time of few hours. Thymosin α1 and Thymosinβ4 both increase to over 1500 ng from 20 ng or less.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 953-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Glimcher ◽  
D. L. Sparks

1. The first experiment of this study determined the effects of low-frequency stimulation of the monkey superior colliculus on spontaneous saccades in the dark. Stimulation trains, subthreshold for eliciting short-latency fixed-vector saccades, were highly effective at biasing the metrics (direction and amplitude) of spontaneous movements. During low-frequency stimulation, the distribution of saccade metrics was biased toward the direction and amplitude of movements induced by suprathreshold stimulation of the same collicular location. 2. Low-frequency stimulation biased the distribution of saccade metrics but did not initiate movements. The distribution of intervals between stimulation onset and the onset of the next saccade did not differ significantly from the distribution of intervals between an arbitrary point in time and the onset of the next saccade under unstimulated conditions. 3. Results of our second experiment indicate that low-frequency stimulation also influenced the metrics of visually guided saccades. The magnitude of the stimulation-induced bias increased as stimulation current or frequency was increased. 4. The time course of these effects was analyzed by terminating stimulation immediately before, during, or after visually guided saccades. Stimulation trains terminated at the onset of a movement were as effective as stimulation trains that continued throughout the movement. No effects were observed if stimulation ended 40–60 ms before the movement began. 5. These results show that low-frequency collicular stimulation can influence the direction and amplitude of spontaneous or visually guided saccades without initiating a movement. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that the collicular activity responsible for specifying the horizontal and vertical amplitude of a saccade differs from the type of collicular activity that initiates a saccade.


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