Modeling the spatial and temporal responses of the human thalamus

The thalamus is an important subcortical structure that regulates the flow of information throughout the brain. Most of the interesting perceptual processes operate at time scales one or two orders of magnitude faster than the temporal resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, despite the sluggishness of the hemodynamic response measured by fMRI, it is still possible to study temporal processing in deep structures in the human brain through analysis of aggregate and modeled population responses. I will present the results of some of our recent work investigating the temporal frequency responses and transient/sustained channels in the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and thalamic reticular nucleus. We are able to segment the magno- and parvocellular sections of the LGN based on temporal response properties. These results will help us to understand the dynamics and fundamental mechanisms of perception.