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Functions of the thalamus in attention and perception

Award Number: R01EY017699
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2007
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

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Functions of the thalamus in attention and perception - PROJECT SUMMARY The visual thalamus has been extensively studied in terms of its anatomical organization, connectivity patterns, and basic neural response properties. However, its role in perception and cognition has remained poorly understood. The present application is a competing renewal submission for our grant “Functions of the thalamus in perception and cognition” (RO1-EY017699). Pulvinar is the largest nucleus in the primate thalamus and is considered a higher-order nucleus, because it forms input-output loops almost exclusively with cortex. In addition to cortical inputs, pulvinar also receives projections from the superior colliculus (SC) – a midbrain area controlling saccadic eye movements and spatial attention. From an anatomical perspective, pulvinar is ideally positioned to regulate the transmission of information to cortex and between cortical areas to influence perceptual and cognitive processes. Evidence from lesion studies in humans and monkeys demonstrates a critical involvement of pulvinar in a number of fundamental cognitive functions, including orienting responses and the filtering of unwanted information. Our studies during the last funding cycle have begun to establish neural correlates that may underlie some of these functions. By using simultaneous multi-site recordings in fronto-parietal cortex and pulvinar, we (i) established a link of pulvinar population responses predicting attention behaviors and (ii) defined a specific role for functional interactions between pulvinar and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) in regulating temporal population dynamics during spatial attention. This application extends this work to further a causal role of the macaque pulvinar in attention control by probing the hypothesis that pulvinar is an integral subcortical part of a large-scale attention network and that, with critical input from SC, pulvinar operates by coordinating activity across attentional control centers in fronto-parieto-temporal cortex. Using an integrated multi-modal methods approach that includes simultaneous multi-site recordings with dense electrode arrays, neuroimaging, reversible inactivation and behavioral measures in monkeys trained on variants of an Egly-Driver task, we will probe these ideas by pursuing three specific aims. First, we will systematically characterize attentional modulation and functional interactions across pulvinar subdivisions as a function of behavioral demands by simultaneously recording from large neuronal populations. Second, we will probe the idea that pulvinar coordinates interactions within a fronto-parieto-temporal attention control network, thus acting as a temporal coordinator, in a causal manner by simultaneously recording from FEF, LIP, PITd and their interconnected projection zones in pulvinar before and during reversible pulvinar inactivation. And third, we will investigate causal influences of SC on pulvinar and their effects on pulvino-cortical interactions by simultaneously recording from the aforementioned network and the SC before and during reversible SC inactivation. The significance of the proposed research is that it will contribute to a better understanding of pulvinar’s role in a fundamental cognitive operation, selective attention—the impairment of which has devastating consequences on human health.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $563,704 )
2025	2025	THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	14	8/15/2025	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$563,704
														Subtotal = $563,704

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$2,273 )
2024	2021	THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	13	9/25/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$2,273
														Subtotal = -$2,273

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	13	3/8/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $397,760 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	13	3/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$397,760
														Subtotal = $397,760

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $410,063 )
2020	2020	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	12	3/24/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$410,063
														Subtotal = $410,063

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $434,363 )
2019	2019	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	11	3/25/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$434,363
														Subtotal = $434,363

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $456,639 )
2018	2018	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	001	10	3/28/2018	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$457,044
2018	2015	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	9	2/14/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$405
														Subtotal = $456,639

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $394,450 )
2015	2015	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	9	8/19/2015	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$394,450
														Subtotal = $394,450

Issue Date FY: 2014 ( Subtotal = $394,450 )
2014	2014	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	8	8/20/2014	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$394,450
														Subtotal = $394,450

Issue Date FY: 2013 ( Subtotal = $382,375 )
2013	2013	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	7	8/14/2013	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$382,375
														Subtotal = $382,375

Issue Date FY: 2012 ( Subtotal = $402,500 )
2012	2012	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	6	9/3/2012	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$402,500
2012	2011	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	001	5	9/3/2012	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $402,500

Issue Date FY: 2011 ( Subtotal = $370,160 )
2011	2011	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	5	2/18/2011	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$347,025
2011	2011	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	001	5	6/9/2011	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$23,135
														Subtotal = $370,160

Issue Date FY: 2010 ( Subtotal = $385,710 )
2010	2010	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	4	3/12/2010	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,710
														Subtotal = $385,710

Issue Date FY: 2009 ( Subtotal = $392,195 )
2009	2009	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	001	3	4/27/2009	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$39,220
2009	2009	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	3	2/12/2009	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$352,975
														Subtotal = $392,195

Issue Date FY: 2008 ( Subtotal = $384,522 )
2008	2008	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	2	3/6/2008	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$384,522
														Subtotal = $384,522

Issue Date FY: 2007 ( Subtotal = $407,034 )
2007	2007	PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 5292	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Vision Research	000	1	3/26/2007	NEW	$407,034
														Subtotal = $407,034

Grand Total All Awards = $5,773,652

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Functions of the thalamus in attention and perception

Award Number: R01EY017699

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2007

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

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