Thalamic burst mode and inattention in the awake LGNd

Abstract

Awake mammals are often inattentive in familiar environments, but must still respond appropriately to relevant visual stimulation. Such "inattentive vision" has received little study, perhaps due to difficulties in controlling eye position in this state. In rabbits, eye position is exceedingly stable in both alert and inattentive states. Here, we exploit this stability to examine temporal filtering of visual information in LGNd neurons as rabbits alternate between EEG-defined states. Within a single second of shifting from alert to an inattentive state, both peak temporal frequency and bandwidth were sharply reduced, and burst frequency increased dramatically. However, spatial dimensions of receptive field centers showed no significant state dependence. We conclude that extremely rapid and significant changes in temporal filtering and bursting occur in the LGNd as awake subjects shift between alert and inattentive states.