Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 116, Issue 47, Pages 23772-23782Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1913092116
Keywords
alpha; oscillations; intracranial EEG; laminar; thalamocortical
Categories
Funding
- US Office of Naval Research [N00014-13-1-0672]
- NIH [R01-MH-099645, R01-EB-009282, R01-NS-062092, K24-NS-088568]
- Massachusetts General Hospital Executive Council on Research
- Hungarian National Brain Research Program [KTIA_13_NAP-A-IV/1-4,6, 2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-00002]
- European Union Grant FP7 NeuroSeeker [600925]
- Hungarian Government [OTKA PD101754, OTKA K119443]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The alpha rhythm is the longest-studied brain oscillation and has been theorized to play a key role in cognition. Still, its physiology is poorly understood. In this study, we used microelectrodes and macroelectrodes in surgical epilepsy patients to measure the intracortical and thalamic generators of the alpha rhythm during quiet wakefulness. We first found that alpha in both visual and somatosensory cortex propagates from higher-order to lower-order areas. In posterior cortex, alpha propagates from higher-order anterosuperior areas toward the occipital pole, whereas alpha in somatosensory cortex propagates from associative regions toward primary cortex. Several analyses suggest that this cortical alpha leads pulvinar alpha, complicating prevailing theories of a thalamic pacemaker. Finally, alpha is dominated by currents and firing in supragranular cortical layers. Together, these results suggest that the alpha rhythm likely reflects short-range supragranular feedback, which propagates from higher- to lower-order cortex and cortex to thalamus. These physiological insights suggest how alpha could mediate feedback throughout the thalamocortical system.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available