Thalamic pathways for active vision
Open accessAbstract
Active vision requires the integration of information coming from the retina with that generated internally within the brain, especially by saccadic eye movements. Just as visual information reaches cortex via the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, this internal information reaches the cerebral cortex through other higher-order nuclei of the thalamus. This review summarizes recent work on four of these thalamic nuclei. The first two pathways convey internal information about upcoming saccades (a corollary discharge) and probably contribute to the neuronal mechanisms that underlie stable visual perception. The second two pathways might contribute to the neuronal mechanisms underlying visual spatial attention in cortex and in the thalamus itself.
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The thalamic reticular nucleus has been proposed to mediate inhibition underlying cross-modal attention or top-down predictions.
“In addition, the thalamic reticular nucleus has been proposed to mediate the inhibition that might underlie cross-modal attention or top-down predictions (Yamaguchi and Knight, 1990; Crick, 1984; Wurtz et al., 2011).”
From Canonical Microcircuits for Predictive Coding (2012) · cites this paper as Wurtz et al., 2011
In “Modulation of Thalamic Reticular and Lateral Geniculate Neurons by Attention” (page unavailable), the paper describes inhibitory projections from the thalamic reticular nucleus and a proposed role in visual attention. It does not connect that inhibition to cross-modal attention or top-down predictions; its discussion of the attentional mechanism is limited to visual spatial attention. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBoth waking saccadic searches and REMs are an integral part of active vision.
“It therefore appears that both waking saccadic searches and REMs are an integral part of active vision (Wurtz et al., 2011) – in much the same way that we infer the nature of an object in the dark by palpitating it.”
From Virtual reality and consciousness inference in dreaming (2014) · cites this paper as Wurtz et al., 2011
The Abstract and Concluding Remarks link saccadic eye movements to active vision, visual stability, and attention. They do not address rapid eye movements during sleep, so the claim that REMs are also integral to active vision is unsupported by this paper. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAll perceptual inference is at some level active, in the sense that we actively sample our sensorium to create our own sensations.
“All perceptual inference is at some level active – in the sense that we actively sample our sensorium to create our own sensations (Wurtz et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2013).”
From Virtual reality and consciousness inference in dreaming (2014) · cites this paper as Wurtz et al., 2011
The Higher-Order Thalamic Nuclei section describes active vision as combining retinal input with the consequences of eye movements, supporting the claim’s point that visual perception involves active sampling. It does not establish that all perceptual inference, across the senses, is active or that we create our own sensations. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe active vision perspective is consistent with active inference during waking, where perceptual content is used to generate top-down predictions of oculomotor sensations and their consequences.
“This “active vision” perspective (Wurtz et al., 2011) is consistent with active inference during waking, where perceptual content is used to generate top-down predictions of oculomotor sensations and their consequences.”
From Virtual reality and consciousness inference in dreaming (2014) · cites this paper as Wurtz et al., 2011
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References 75 · Cited by 127
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [3]Jones EG The Thalamus Second Edition 2007 Cambridge University Press 1270 1271
- Authors
- Wurtz, R. H., McAlonan, K., Cavanaugh, J., & Berman, R. A.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wurtz, Robert H.
- ORCID
- Berman, Rebecca A.
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-04
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 177-184
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3070860
- OpenAlex
- W2093879971
- Cited by
- 127
- References
- 75
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 0.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Eye Institute (ZIAEY000109)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- active vision, thalamic nuclei, saccades, corollary discharge, lateral geniculate nucleus, visuospatial attention, thalamocortical circuits
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Attention, Humans, Models, Biological, Nerve Net, Thalamus, Vision, Ocular, Visual Cortex, Visual Pathways
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