Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>The mediodorsal nucleus (MDN) of the thalamus has been proven to be critical in executive functions; in particular, studies on its connections have assumed an involvement in high-level executive functions traditionally associated with the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, we used cognitive tests including high-level executive functions such as multitasking and anatomical MRI on 18 healthy subjects and 17 left-MDN-injured patients to determine the MDN’s involvement in high-level executive functions. We found that standard cognitive assessments did not show strong differences between controls and patients for specific executive functions such as, for instance, language, working memory or attention. However, high-level executive function results were lower in patients; in particular, the performance of multitasking strongly decreased in patients, with both processing speed and mental flexibility reduced. Moreover, these impairments positively correlate with left-MDN lesion volumes. In a nutshell, our results highlight MDN’s involvement in high-level executive functions, aligning with prefrontal cortex literature.</p>