Thalamocortical and corticothalamic interaction in the auditory system

Abstract

The neuronal interconnections between thalamus and cortex modulate information transmission in the central auditory system. To facilitate the understanding of its modulation effects and mechanism, first, the recent progress on investigating the anatomical connections and the physiological properties of the medial geniculate body and auditory cortex is summarized. Second, the connectional pattern and functional organization in thalamocortical and corticothalamic network are described. Third, the strategic position and role of the thalamic reticular nucleus in the auditory system are demonstrated. Lastly, the functional implication of this integrated system and possible interactions between auditory thalamus and cortex are discussed. The thalamocortical and corticothalamic projections may work as a dynamic filter array in integrating sensory information and optimizing signal processing in the auditory system. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG.