Course Description: Thalamocortical circuits mediate attention, perception, sensation, consciousness and rhythm generation. Disruption in these circuits is involved in neurologic disorders such as epilepsy and psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. The goal of this mini-course will be to provide intense exposure to functions of the thalamocortical loops from the synapse to the circuit, and to how these functions are altered in disease. Lectures will be combined with a review of recent scientific advances in the field or a patient clinic conference. At the end of this course, students should have a fundamental understanding of the basic physiology and pathophysiology of the thalamocortical circuits, and current tools and approaches used to study these circuits.
Course Directors: Eric Huang and Jeanne Paz
For your study list please use:
NS 219, 3 units, Director: Eric Huang, Grade option: S/U
Course Schedule:
Tuesday, May 16
Time: 1PM-3PM, GH-S202
Instructor: Jeanne Paz
Topics:
1. Introduction: Thalamus and Thalamocortical circuits: what you need to know
2. Thalamocortical Rhythmogenesis in Sleep
Papers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21785436
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26460547
Wednesday, May 17
Time: 1PM-3PM, MH-2108
Topic: Thalamocortical Rhythmogenesis in Focal and Generalized Epilepsies
Instructor: Jeanne Paz
Papers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27989462
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143518
Thursday, May 18
Time: 1PM-3PM, MH-2108
Topic: Development of specificity in thalamocortical connections: signals and effectors.
Instructor: Michael Stryker
Papers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28334242
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28033094
Tuesday, May 23
Time: 1PM-3PM, MH-2108
Topic: Thalamocortical Circuits in Motor Control
Instructor: Anatol Kreitzer
Papers:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627315011666
https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v545/n7653/full/nature22324.html
Wednesday, May 24
Time: 1:30PM-3:30PM, MH-2108
Topic: Thalamocortical Circuits in Psychiatric Disorders
Instructor: Vikaas Sohal
Mike Halassa’s recent paper
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22073.epdf?shared_access_token=kDm4ziJn3kfGb78b4Pt649RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MM4lpGsJje4kp7jJjqExLWNRj9u6pK9mgqTpmLEeIXHY83ZhnZ6VKYIOS4JKAnpkQz1P24yMunHahXHYUzo-Ky1gtApZj0rmbbCWn5QlOm12mrnXs98XIwKFPip4G_pn8%3D
and the accompanying paper from Christoph Kellendonk & Josh Gordon:
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.4568.html
You need to:
1. Be prepared to discuss both papers (i.e. present figures)
2. Think of 1 question related to each paper
3. Determine whether the two papers show fundamentally similar or dissimilar functions for MD-PFC connectivity, and speak to what that function is.
Thursday, May 25
Time: 1PM-3PM, MH-2108
Topic: Thalamocortical Circuits in Human Epilepsy
Instructor: Roberta Cilio
Papers:
Neurobiology of Disease
Neurology Video EEG
Plos Burst-suppression Natia
Tuesday, May 30
Time: 1PM-3PM, GH-S202
Topic: Development of Thalamocortical Circuits: glial neuronal interactions
Instructor: Anna Molofsky
Wednesday, May 31
Time: 10AM-12PM, MH-2108
Topic: Neurodegeneration in the thalamocortical circuit in FTD
Instructor: Eric Huang
Papers:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867416303920
Thursday, June 1
Time: 1PM-3PM, MH-2108
Topic: Frontotemporal Dementia
Instructor: Suzee Lee