Everything about Claustrum
Structure in the brain
The claustrum is a thin sheet of neurons and supporting glial cells in the brain that connects to the cerebral cortex and subcortical regions including the amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus. It is located between the insular cortex laterally and the putamen medially, encased by the extreme and external capsules respectively. Blood to the claustrum is supplied by the middle cerebral artery. It is considered to be the most densely connected structure in the brain, and thus hypothesized to allow for the integration of various cortical inputs such as vision, sound and touch, into one experience. Other hypotheses suggest that the claustrum plays a role in salience processing, to direct attention towards the most behaviorally relevant stimuli amongst the background noise. The claustrum is difficult to study given the limited number of individuals with claustral lesions and the poor resolution of neuroimaging. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: ClaustrumA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: Claustrum mediates bidirectional and reversible control of stress-induced anxiety responsesInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: The claustrumThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: What is the function of the claustrum?Cited 639 times
- Go sideways: Thalamocortical radiationsA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Topographic map (neuroanatomy)A closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun A thin, irregular sheet of grey matter underneath the inner part of the neocortex on both sides of the brains of mammals; its exact function is not understood, but it is believed to facilitate coordination between senses
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
What is the function of the claustrum?
Insula of the old world monkey. II: Afferent cortical input and comments on the claustrum
The visual claustrum of the cat. I. Structure and connections
Attention: the claustrum
Organization of the connections between claustrum and cortex in the mouse
The claustrum coordinates cortical slow-wave activity
Inhibitory Control of Prefrontal Cortex by the Claustrum
Sensory maps in the claustrum of the cat
🆕 Influential since 2022
Claustrum mediates bidirectional and reversible control of stress-induced anxiety responses
Neural activity in the mouse claustrum in a cross-modal sensory selection task
A role for the claustrum in cognitive control
Influence of claustrum on cortex varies by area, layer, and cell type
Human lesions and animal studies link the claustrum to perception, salience, sleep and pain
📚 Books worth reading
- 📕The claustrumJohn R. Smythies, Lawrence R. Edelstein · 2014
- 📕Morfofiziologii͡a klaustrumaN. I. Vakoli͡uk · 1985
- 📕Claustrum animaeGerhard Bauer · 1973
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- Thalamocortical radiations In neuroanatomy, thalamocortical radiations, also known as thalamocortical fibers, are the efferent fibers that project from the thalamus to distinct areas…
- Topographic map (neuroanatomy) In neuroanatomy, a topographic map is the ordered projection of a sensory surface (like the retina or the skin) or an effector system (like the musculature)…
- Cortical column A cortical column is a group of neurons forming a cylindrical structure through the cerebral cortex of the brain perpendicular to the cortical surface…
- Cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. It…
- Motor cortex The motor cortex comprises interconnected fields on the posterior frontal lobe—chiefly Brodmann area 4 (primary motor cortex, M1) and area 6 (premotor…
- Sensory processing Sensory processing is the process that organizes and distinguishes sensation (sensory information) from one's own body and the environment, thus making…
- Zona incerta The zona incerta (ZI) is a horizontally elongated small nucleus that separates the larger subthalamic nucleus from the thalamus. Its connections project…
- Recurrent thalamo-cortical resonance Recurrent thalamo-cortical resonance or thalamocortical oscillation is an observed phenomenon of oscillatory neural activity between the thalamus and various…