Functional heterogeneity of the limbic thalamus: From hippocampal to cortical functions

Mathieu Wolff, Fabien Alcaraz, Alain R. Marchand, Etienne Coutureau
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2015-07-01; 54: 120-130
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.011

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1. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Jul;54:120-30. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.011.
Epub 2014 Nov 21.

Functional heterogeneity of the limbic thalamus: From hippocampal to cortical
functions.

Wolff M(1), Alcaraz F(2), Marchand AR(2), Coutureau E(2).

Author information:
(1)CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33076 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, INCIA,
UMR 5287, 33076 Bordeaux, France. Electronic address:
.
(2)CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33076 Bordeaux, France; Université de Bordeaux, INCIA,
UMR 5287, 33076 Bordeaux, France.

Today, the idea that the integrity of the limbic thalamus is necessary for normal
memory functions is well established. However, if the study of thalamic patients
emphasized the anterior and the mediodorsal thalamus as the critical thalamic
loci supporting cognitive functions, clinical studies have so far failed to
attribute a specific role to each of these regions. In view of these
difficulties, we review here the experimental data conducted in rodents harboring
specific lesions of each thalamic region. These data clearly indicate a major
functional dissociation within the limbic thalamus. The anterior thalamus
provides critical support for hippocampal functions due to its cardinal location
in the Papez circuit, while the mediodorsal thalamus may signal relevant
information in a circuit encompassing the basolateral amygdala and the prefrontal
cortex. Interestingly, while clinical studies have suggested that diencephalic
pathologies may disconnect the medial temporal lobe from the cortex, experimental
studies conducted in rodent show how this may differently affect distinct
temporo-thalamo-cortical circuits, sharing the same general organization but
supporting dissociable functions.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.011
PMID: 25446945 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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