How deep thalamus regions help attention and decision-making
Functions and thalamocortical interactions of macaque higher order thalamus in cognitive control
Researchers will learn how two thalamus regions support attention, working memory, and decision-making to help people with attention or executive difficulties.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Princeton University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Princeton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326835 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses awake macaque monkeys to map how two higher-order thalamic nuclei connect with frontal and parietal brain areas during attention and hierarchical decision tasks. Investigators will combine targeted lesions, neural recordings, and task-based behavioral measures to probe a pulvinar–fronto-parietal network and an MD–prefrontal–ACC network. Results will be compared with other center projects that look across circuits and whole-brain networks and linked to human neuroimaging findings. The goal is to build a mechanistic model that explains how signals in these thalamic hubs support cognitive control and how those signals might change in disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with attention, working memory, or executive-function problems—such as some forms of ADHD, certain stroke or traumatic brain injury survivors, or cognitive symptoms in psychiatric or neurodegenerative conditions—would be the most relevant candidates for related human studies.
Not a fit: Patients whose health issues do not involve brain circuits for attention or executive function (for example isolated peripheral organ disease) are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal brain circuit targets and mechanisms that guide better diagnosis or new treatments for attention, working memory, and executive-function disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Lesion and imaging studies in humans and nonhuman primates have previously linked these thalamic areas to attention and executive function, but detailed circuit-level monkey experiments combined with behavioral tasks are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Princeton, UNITED STATES
- Princeton University — Princeton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kastner, Sabine — Princeton University
- Study coordinator: Kastner, Sabine
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.