Resonant Columns
Studies involving manipulation of slices of visual cortex have shown that thalamocortical resonance from stimulated TCs induces the formation of coherent regions of similar electrical activity through vertical layers of the cortex. In essence this means that groupings of activated cortical cells form from the activation of these thalamic cells. These regions are columnar and are physically separated from adjacent resonance columns by areas of inhibited cortex between them. It is not known what the exact function of these columns is, although their formation occurs only when the cortical white matter afferents are stimulated at the gamma frequency range, implying an association with task-focused thought. The regions of inactive cortex that form between cortical columns were determined to be actively inhibited; administration of a GABAA blocker stops columnar development.
Read more about this topic: Recurrent Thalamo-cortical Resonance, Thalamocortical Circuits
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