The Pulvinar Regulates Information Transmission Between Cortical Areas Based on Attention Demands

Abstract

Selective attention mechanisms route behaviorally relevant information through large-scale cortical networks. While evidence suggests that populations of cortical neurons synchronize their activity to preferentially transmit information about attentional priorities, it is unclear how cortical synchrony across a network is accomplished. Based on its anatomical connectivity with the cortex, we hypothesized that the pulvinar, a thalamic nucleus, regulates cortical synchrony. We mapped pulvino-cortical networks within the visual system using diffusion tensor imaging and simultaneously recorded spikes and field potentials from these interconnected network sites in monkeys performing a visuo-spatial attention task. The pulvinar synchronized activity between interconnected cortical areas according to attentional allocation, suggesting not only a critical role for the thalamus in attentional selection, but more generally in regulating information transmission across visual cortex.