The role of cortico-basal-thalamic loops in cognition: a computational model and preliminary results

Clinical and experimental research over the last decade has implicated neuroanatomic loops connecting the frontal cortex to the basal ganglia and thalamus in various aspects of planning and memory. We report on computational model whose central aspects are: (1) a model of cortical-striatal-thalamic loops in planning and executive control, and (2) a fine-grained model of basal-ganglia function that exploits specific component connectivity and dynamics. The model is biologically plausible given current literature on the neurophysiology and disease pathology of the relevant brain regions. Specifically, our model has implications for subjects with diseases affecting the relevant brain regions (Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease).