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Poster E in Poster Session E: Thursday, August 6, 10:30 am – 12:15 pm, Kimmel Center, Shorin & Rosenthal Rooms

Dissecting Thalamic Uncertainty Management with Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation

Julian Q. Kosciessa¹, Martin Wimmers², Carys Evans², Joana Pedroso de Faria², Sebastian Reichstein², Javier Gómez Pérez², Lena Grondelaers², Ruggero Condorelli², Lennart Verhagen²; ¹Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, ²Radboud University

Presenter: Julian Q. Kosciessa

To make informed choices, our brains must monitor and manage uncertainty that originates from diverse sources. Examples include impoverished perceptual inputs ("perceptual uncertainty") and ambiguous goal relevance of task rules or stimulus features ("task uncertainty"). Systems neuroscience indicates that transthalamic circuits possess architectural features that may support unified principles of uncertainty-guided control across functional domains. However, thalamic contributions remain difficult to causally establish in human cognitive neuroscience. Here, we leverage the spatial precision and deep reach of low-intensity Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS) to test thalamic contributions to the management of perceptual and task uncertainty in humans. In multiple stimulation sessions, we apply TUS to either the mediodorsal (MD) or pulvinar (PUL) thalamus — anatomically adjacent subregions that serve as major nodes of structurally distinct transthalamic circuits. Across two studies, we assess TUS effects on sensitivity to perceptual and task uncertainty via multimodal assessment of behavior, choice computations, cortical excitability (EEG), and circuit engagement (3T fMRI). To support stimulation planning and targeting validation of ultrasound interventions in cognitive neuroscience, we introduce PRESTUS, an open-source toolbox for individualized TUS simulations.

Topic Area: Decision-Making, Cognitive Control & Event Cognition