What is the thalamus likened to?

The thalamus is often described as a relay station. This is because almost all sensory information (with the exception of smell) that proceeds to the cortex first stops in the thalamus before being sent on to its destination.

What does the thalamus regulate?

The primary function of the thalamus is to relay motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. It also regulates sleep, alertness, and wakefulness.

Which senses are processed through the thalamus?

The thalamus (from the Greek thalamos or inner chamber) transmits 98 percent of sensory information to the cortex, including vision, taste, touch and balance; the only sense that doesn’t pass through this brain region is smell.

What happens if thalamus is damaged?

While thalamus damage primarily causes sensory problems, it can also lead to behavioral and cognitive changes. For example, many patients with a thalamus injury have incorrect speech patterns and can struggle to find the right words. Others display apathy and memory problems.

How many nuclei does the thalamus have?

The thalamus can divide into approximately 60 regions called nuclei. [1] Each nucleus has unique pathways as inputs and various projections as outputs, most of which send information to the cerebral cortex.

Is not a nuclei of thalamus?

The reticular nucleus is the only nucleus that does not project to the cortex. This nucleus receives inputs from other thalamic nuclei and the cerebral cortex and sends out projections that circle back to the thalamus.

What are the nuclei of the thalamus?

The thalamic nuclei are the clusters of densely packed neuronal cell bodies that comprise the thalamus. The thalamus is an ovoid, paired gray matter structure, found in the center of the brain, just superior to the brainstem. Each side of the thalamus contains six groups of nuclei; Anterior nuclei of thalamus.

Does the hypothalamus regulate the thalamus?

Regulation of Thalamus and the Hypothalamus The thalamus regulates sleep, alertness and wakefulness, whereas the hypothalamus regulates body temperature, hunger, fatigue and metabolic processes in general.

What are the thalamic nuclei?

What type of sensory information is processed in the thalamus before being sent to other cortical regions?

When light hits the retina of the eye, that information makes a stopover in the thalamus before being sent to the visual cortex of the brain to be processed. Similarly, auditory and somatosensory (touch) information is routed through the thalamus before traveling to cortex for more complex processing.

What causes damage to thalamus?

This means they’re caused by a blocked artery in your brain, often due to a blood clot. Hemorrhagic strokes, on the other hand, are caused by a rupture or leakage of a blood vessel into your brain. A thalamic stroke can be either ischemic or hemorrhagic.

Can you live without the thalamus?

“The ultimate reality is that without thalamus, the cortex is useless, it’s not receiving any information in the first place,” said Theyel, a postdoctoral researcher. “And if this other information-bearing pathway is really critical, it’s involved in higher-order cortical functioning as well.”

How many nuclei are there in the thalamus?

The thalamus serves as the main relay station for the brain. Motor pathways, limbic pathways, and sensory pathways besides olfaction all pass through this central structure. The thalamus can divide into approximately 60 regions called nuclei.[1] 

Is the thalamic nucleus part of the limbic system?

The anterior thalamic nucleus receives input from the mammillary bodies and projects to the cingulate gyrus. The anterior nucleus is part of the limbic system. The VA thalamic nucleus, the most rostral of the lateral thalamic group is one of the major thalamic motor nuclei.

Is the thalamus part of the medullary lamina?

Notice that throughout most of the thalamus the internal medullary lamina divides the thalamus into a medial group, consisting of the dorsomedial (DM) nucleus, and a lateral group, consisting of several thalamic nuclei.

Where is the lateral geniculate nucleus located in the thalamus?

The lateral geniculate nucleus is located within the lateral geniculate body, an ovoid projection of the posterior aspect of the thalamus. The lateral geniculate nucleus represents the thalamic relay station of the visual pathway . The nucleus consists of six to eight laminae, which are separated by interlaminar zones.