RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Theta Oscillations Organize Spiking Activity in Higher-Order Visual Thalamus during Sustained Attention JF eneuro JO eNeuro FD Society for Neuroscience SP ENEURO.0384-17.2018 DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0384-17.2018 A1 Yu, Chunxiu A1 Li, Yuhui A1 Stitt, Iain M. A1 Zhou, Zhe Charles A1 Sellers, Kristin K. A1 Frohlich, Flavio YR 2018 UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2018/02/28/ENEURO.0384-17.2018.abstract AB Higher-order visual thalamus plays a fundamental but poorly understood role in attention-demanding tasks. To investigate how neuronal dynamics in higher-order visual thalamus are modulated by sustained attention, we performed multichannel electrophysiological recordings in the lateral posterior-pulvinar complex (LP/pulvinar) in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo). We recorded single unit activity and local field potential during the performance of the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) that is used in both humans and animals as an assay of sustained attention. We found that half of the units exhibited an increasing firing rate during the delay period before stimulus onset (attention-modulated units). In contrast, the non-attention-modulated units responded to the stimulus, but not during the delay period. Spike-field coherence of only the attention-modulated neurons significantly increased from the start of the delay period until screen touch, predominantly in the theta frequency band. In addition, theta power and theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling were elevated throughout the delay period. Our findings suggest that the theta oscillation plays a role in orchestrating thalamic signaling during sustained attention.Significance Statement Impaired sustained attention can be deadly, as illustrated by the number of motor vehicle accidents that are caused by drivers not reacting quickly enough to unexpected events on the road. Understanding how electrical signaling in higher-order visual nuclei, such as the LP/pulvinar, is modulated during tasks that require sustained attention is an important step in achieving a mechanistic understanding of sustained attention, which will eventually lead to new strategies to prevent and treat impairment in sustained attention.