Thalamocortical Network Dynamics During Auditory Naming Tasks: A Stereo-EEG Study
Abstract number :
2.183
Submission category :
3. Neurophysiology / 3C. Other Clinical EEG
Year :
2025
Submission ID :
1032
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/7/2025 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Hiroya Ono, MD,PhD – UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital
Atsuro Daida, MD, PhD – Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Saarang Panchavati, BS – UCLA
Sotaro Kanai, MD, PhD – Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Yipeng Zhang, MS, PhD – Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Los Angeles
Raman Sankar, MD, PhD – Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine
Noriko Salamon, MD, PhD – Department of Radiology, UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine
Aria Fallah, MD, MSc, MBA – Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine
Vwani Roychowdhury, PhD – Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Los Angeles
William Speier, PhD – Department of Radiological Sciences and Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles
Hiroki Nariai, MD, PhD, MS – Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Rationale: Language processing relies on coordinated neural activity across cortical and thalamic regions, yet the frequency-specific dynamics underlying these interactions during auditory naming tasks remain unclear. This study uses stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) to investigate distinct frequency-specific cortical and thalamic responses during auditory naming.
Methods: We analyzed SEEG recordings from six patients (ages 7–28 years) with drug-resistant epilepsy. Participants performed auditory naming tasks while EEG was recorded from cortical regions (superior temporal gyrus [STG], precentral gyrus) and thalamic nuclei: the anterior thalamus (AT: anterior nucleus and mediodorsal nucleus), targeted by an intraventricular path, and the posterior thalamus (PT: centromedian nucleus and pulvinar), targeted by an extraventricular path. Time-frequency analysis assessed amplitude changes across frequency bands—delta (1–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz), beta (12–30 Hz), low gamma (30–70 Hz), and high gamma (70–110 Hz)—relative to pre-stimulus baselines during auditory stimulus perception and speech response phases.
Results: During auditory stimulus presentation, we observed marked increases in high-gamma and delta amplitudes within several cortical regions, especially the STG. Within the thalamus, the AT exhibited suppression in low-frequency bands, while the PT demonstrated significant amplitude enhancement in low-frequency bands with minimal high-gamma activation. During the speech response phase, the precentral gyrus exhibited pronounced high-gamma and delta amplitude increases with predominance in the left hemisphere, whereas the PT maintained predominantly low-frequency augmentation, and the AT remained suppressed.
Conclusions: These findings reveal frequency-specific roles for cortical and thalamic regions during auditory naming tasks. Cortical areas engage high-gamma rhythms prominently, indicating active local processing and also demonstrate augmentation in low-frequency bands, suggesting their contribution to broader network coordination. In contrast, thalamic subregions exhibit distinct modulation patterns, with AT showing suppression and PT exhibiting enhancement in low-frequency oscillations. Our findings enhance the understanding of language network dynamics, particularly the interplay between regional cortical areas and long-range thalamocortical networks.
Funding: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) K23NS128318, Uehara Memorial Foundation,and SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation
Neurophysiology