"The study by Rodenkirch et al. expands our understanding of a key neuromodulatory center, the locus coeruleus, and its impact on forebrain circuitry. The fact that its enhancement of thalamic feature selectivity is directly mediated by an intrathalamic circuit with the possibility that TRN impact on VPm is augmented under such conditions is intriguing. Follow-up studies that selectively manipulate the TRN specifically in the context of LC activation, and feature attention manipulation more broadly, will be extremely important to test the key predictions of the computational model presented. More generally, the type of approach these authors have taken will undoubtedly propel future work in deciphering thalamic computations and the role of thalamus in sensory and cognitive processing."
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