# Thalamortical processing of visual information during alert and non-alert brain states

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2021 · $390,425

## Abstract

This proposal aims to understand the changes in visual processing that occur when subjects shift between alert and
non-alert waking states. While great advances have been made in understanding central mechanisms of visual
perception of alert, attentive subjects, there is little understanding of cortical processes that come into play when
alertness wanes. The awake, non-alert state is not equivalent to anesthesia, or to sleep states. When non-alert, we
are capable of perception, but our perceptual capacities differ. It is commonly believed that "accidents happen"
when we are not alert, but the extent to which early thalamic or visual cortical mechanisms may be responsible for
this (as opposed to higher cognitive processes) is an open question. This proposal relies on a unique model system
that is very well-suited to address this question: the awake rabbit, an animal who's "inner mental life" transparently
and frequently shifts between alert and nonalert EEG-defined states, and who's stable eyes and diffident nature
make it an ideal subject for these experiments. The proposed research will examine how changes in the brain state
of awake subjects influence the multiple, sequential stages of information processing that occur within the visual
thalamocortical, intracortical, and cortical output networks. The experiments will compare state dependent changes
in the visual response properties of excitatory and inhibitory neurons at the input layer and within several output
systems of the cortex and will investigate the underlying mechanisms leading to these changes, at the subthreshold
and spiking level. This work will lead to a better understanding of cortical mechanisms of visual processing in a
dynamic, awake brain.
From a health perspective, these studies will have an important impact on our understanding of how
alertness/vigilance deficits can impact visual perception and performance, and will provide the basis for future
clinical studies of human mental health and behavioral disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10200061
- **Project number:** 5R01EY028905-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** HARVEY A SWADLOW
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $390,425
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10200061

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10200061, Thalamortical processing of visual information during alert and non-alert brain states (5R01EY028905-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10200061. Licensed CC0.

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