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Volume 8
Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
ISSN: 2161-0460
Dementia 2018
October 29-31, 2018
October 29-31, 2018 | Valencia, Spain
12
th
International Conference on
Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia
From thalamus to cortex: Exploring the EEG cortical rhythms in dementia with Lewy bodies
Laura Bonanni
University of Chieti, Italy
G
rowing evidences suggest that the thalamus acts as a brain activity pacemaker, regulating the information transmitted to
the cortical areas. Particularly, thalamus plays a central role in altering and maintaining arousal. Anatomically its nuclei are
topographically organized to modulate and synchronize distributed cortical networks supporting large scale cerebral dynamics
related to goal directed behaviors and awareness. On this basis, it was suggested that phenomenal consciousness is generated
by synchronized neural activity in thalamic neurons and that thalamic activity is driven by information arising from the
cortical computation. Furthermore, the thalamus is critically involved in the modulation of visual transmission to the cortex
and also to different cortical areas. It modulates visual attention based on its widespread connectivity with the visual cortex
and the fronto-parietal attention network. Abnormal functional connectivity and micro-structural damage within thalami
have been reported in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DLB patients present specific symptoms characterized by clouding
of consciousness (fluctuating cognition), sleep disturbances (mind-body dissociation) and visual hallucinations (within-mind
dissociation), which have all been demonstrated to be associated with abnormalities of thalamic nuclei or thalamo-cortical
connectivity of dysfunctions of thalamo-cortical connections in the genesis of DLB clinical features. A relevant role might be
played by the thalamus in the physiopathology of core symptoms in DLB. Particularly thalamic cholinergic alterations could be
related to fluctuating cognition (FC) and microstructural damage of pulvinar region could be linked to visual hallucinations.
l.bonanni@unich.itJ Alzheimers Dis Parkinsonism 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0460-C7-055