The thalamus is a small, bilateral structure in the diencephalon that integrates signals from
many areas of the CNS. This critical anatomical position allows the thalamus to influence …

Although considered an inactive state for centuries, sleep entails many active processes
occurring at the cellular, circuit and organismal levels. Over the last decade, several key …

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) orchestrates higher brain function and becomes disrupted in
many mental health disorders. The rodent medial PFC (mPFC) possesses an enormous …

Brain activity during sleep is characterized by circuit-specific oscillations, including slow
waves, spindles and theta waves, which are nested in thalamocortical or hippocampal …

Clinical observations indicate that the paramedian region of the thalamus is a critical node
for controlling wakefulness. However, the specific nucleus and neural circuitry for this …

The human brain is a complex, adaptive system comprised of billions of cells with trillions of
connections. The interactions between the elements of the system oppose this seemingly …

The neurobiological mechanisms of arousal and anesthesia remain poorly understood.
Recent evidence highlights the key role of interactions between the cerebral cortex and the …

The cerebellar vermis, long associated with axial motor control, has been implicated in a
surprising range of neuropsychiatric disorders and cognitive and affective functions …

A defining feature of sleep is reduced responsiveness to external stimuli, but the
mechanisms mediating sensory-evoked arousal remain unclear. We hypothesized that …

Many of our daily activities, such as riding a bike to work or reading a book in a noisy cafe,
and highly skilled activities, such as a professional playing a tennis match or a violin …