Optogenetic fMRI reveals differences between paralemniscal and lemniscal somatosensory thalamocortical circuit

Abstract

Identifying key differences between the paralemniscal and lemniscal pathway in the somatosensory system remains a challenge for electrophysiological studies due to limitations in spatial coverage. The use of optogenetic fMRI (ofMRI) however, provides an opportunity to map the large scale differences between the two pathways. Our key findings include, (1) differences in multisensory and motor system interaction when stimulating paralemniscal compared to lemniscal pathway and (2) differences in activity patterns when stimulating paralemniscal pathway within the whisking frequency range. In all, ofMRI provides an added dimension to existing electrophysiological studies to advance our understanding of information processing in thalamocortical circuits.