Thalamocortical Assemblies

During sleep, the mammalian brain generates an orderly progression of low frequency oscillations. The nature of these oscillations changes as the brain moves from sleep onset into deep sleep. Although readily measured and recorded, the underlying neural mechanisms involved and the purpose of these oscillations have remained unclear. However, as we learn more about the properties of neurons in the thalamus and cerebral cortex and their interactions, it has become possible to suggest a role for these occurrences. This book reviews the molecular components and ionic mechanisms underlying sleep oscillations, including their distorsion into epileptic seizures. It reviews the properties of ion channels, synaptic interactions, intrinsic cellular behaviour, and how these elements assemble into oscillating circuits and networks. The precision experimental data collected has provided a foundation for the study of dynamic activity in the central nervous systems and it is now possible to suggest a role for thalamocortical oscillations in memory consolidation. Thalamocortical Assemblies is for neuroscientists, neurobiologists, physiologists and other researchers interested in sleep and memory processes.