Layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) are sparsely
active, spontaneously and during sensory stimulation. Long-range inputs from higher areas …

Higher-order thalamic nuclei, such as the posterior medial nucleus (POm) in the
somatosensory system or the pulvinar in the visual system, densely innervate the cortex and …

Synaptic interactions between nearby excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the neocortex are
thought to play fundamental roles in sensory processing. Here, we have combined …

Knowledge of thalamocortical (TC) processing comes mainly from studying core thalamic
systems that project to middle layers of primary sensory cortices. However, most thalamic …

Initial anatomical and physiological studies suggested that sensory information relayed from
the periphery by the thalamus is serially processed in primary sensory cortical areas. It is …

Mouse primary somatosensory barrel cortex (wS1) processes whisker sensory information,
receiving input from two distinct thalamic nuclei. The first-order ventral posterior medial …

In the mammalian brain, thalamic signals reach the cortex via two major routes: primary and
higher-order thalamocortical pathways. While primary thalamocortical nuclei transmit …

A fundamental issue in cortical processing of sensory information is whether top-down
control circuits from higher brain areas to primary sensory areas not only modulate but …

Current knowledge of thalamocortical interaction comes mainly from studying lemniscal
thalamic systems. Less is known about paralemniscal thalamic nuclei function. In the …

The ability to adapt to dynamic environments requires tracking multiple signals with variable
sensory salience and fluctuating behavioral relevance. This complex process requires …