Kathrin Habig1, Heidrun H Krämer2, Gothje Lautenschläger2, Bertram Walter3,4, Christoph Best5. 1. Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstrasse 33, 35392, Giessen, Germany. Kathrin.Habig@neuro.med.uni-giessen.de. 2. Department of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Klinikstrasse 33, 35392, Giessen, Germany. 3. Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus-Liebig-University, 35394, Giessen, Germany. 4. Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps University Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. 5. Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The thalamus plays an important role in the mediation and integration of various stimuli (e.g., somatosensory, pain, and vestibular). Whether a stimulus-specific and topographic organization of the thalamic nuclei exists is still unknown. The aim of our study was to define a functional, in vivo map of multimodal sensory processing within the human thalamus. METHODS: Twenty healthy individuals (10 women, 21-34 years old) participated. Defined sensory stimuli were applied to both hands (innocuous touch, mechanical pain, and heat pain) and the vestibular organ (galvanic stimulation) during 3 T functional MRI. RESULTS: Bilateral thalamic activations could be detected for touch, mechanical pain, and vestibular stimulation within the left medio-dorsal and right anterior thalamus. Heat pain did not lead to thalamic activation at all. Stimuli applied to the left body side resulted in stronger activation patterns. Comparing an early with a late stimulation interval, the mentioned activation patterns were far more pronounced within the early stimulation interval. CONCLUSIONS: The right anterior and ventral-anterior nucleus and the left medio-dorsal nucleus appear to be important for the processing of multimodal sensory information. In addition, galvanic stimulation is processed more laterally compared to mechanical pain. The observed changes in activity within the thalamic nuclei depending on the stimulation interval suggest that the stimuli are processed in a thalamic network rather than a distinct nucleus. In particular, the vestibular network within the thalamus recruits bilateral nuclei, rendering the thalamus an important integrative structure for vestibular function.
OBJECTIVES: The thalamus plays an important role in the mediation and integration of various stimuli (e.g., somatosensory, pain, and vestibular). Whether a stimulus-specific and topographic organization of the thalamic nuclei exists is still unknown. The aim of our study was to define a functional, in vivo map of multimodal sensory processing within the human thalamus. METHODS: Twenty healthy individuals (10 women, 21-34 years old) participated. Defined sensory stimuli were applied to both hands (innocuous touch, mechanical pain, and heat pain) and the vestibular organ (galvanic stimulation) during 3 T functional MRI. RESULTS: Bilateral thalamic activations could be detected for touch, mechanical pain, and vestibular stimulation within the left medio-dorsal and right anterior thalamus. Heat pain did not lead to thalamic activation at all. Stimuli applied to the left body side resulted in stronger activation patterns. Comparing an early with a late stimulation interval, the mentioned activation patterns were far more pronounced within the early stimulation interval. CONCLUSIONS: The right anterior and ventral-anterior nucleus and the left medio-dorsal nucleus appear to be important for the processing of multimodal sensory information. In addition, galvanic stimulation is processed more laterally compared to mechanical pain. The observed changes in activity within the thalamic nuclei depending on the stimulation interval suggest that the stimuli are processed in a thalamic network rather than a distinct nucleus. In particular, the vestibular network within the thalamus recruits bilateral nuclei, rendering the thalamus an important integrative structure for vestibular function.
Authors: T E J Behrens; H Johansen-Berg; M W Woolrich; S M Smith; C A M Wheeler-Kingshott; P A Boulby; G J Barker; E L Sillery; K Sheehan; O Ciccarelli; A J Thompson; J M Brady; P M Matthews Journal: Nat Neurosci Date: 2003-07 Impact factor: 24.884
Authors: Kay H Brodersen; Katja Wiech; Ekaterina I Lomakina; Chia-Shu Lin; Joachim M Buhmann; Ulrike Bingel; Markus Ploner; Klaas Enno Stephan; Irene Tracey Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2012-08-18 Impact factor: 6.556