Description: The thalamus is a small, bilateral structure in the diencephalon that integrates diverse connections from and across the central nervous system. The topological position of the thalamus allows it to profoundly influence whole-brain activity and adaptive behaviour. However, traditional research paradigms have struggled to attribute specific functions to the thalamus, and it has remained under-studied in the human neuroimaging literature. I will highlight recent advances in the imaging and modelling of the human thalamus that argue that the function of the thalamus is best viewed from the systems-level, as this small structure fulfils a range of capacities, including the coordination of neural activity, connectivity, topology, variability, and modulatory mechanisms, both at rest and during the performance of cognitive tasks.
Bio: I am a systems neurobiologist working to understand the mechanisms of cognition and attention using functional brain imaging, both in health and disease. I have a particular interest in understanding how the different arms of the ascending arousal system flexibly modulate the cross-scale organisation of the brain to facilitate adaptive behaviour.
Twitter: @jmacshine