Diencephalon Flashcards
What consists of the diencephalon?
Thalamus, hypothalamus, subthalamus, epithalamus
What is the thalamus?
A collection of nuclei and associated laminae
In 70% of the population, what are the two thalami connected by?
An interthalamic adhesion
Internally, the thalamus is divided by a vertical sheet of white matter calls the…
internal medullary lamina
Functions of the thalamus
Receives information about sensation, vision, and hearing
Mediates motor information from the cerebellum and the basal ganglia to the motor cortex
Involved in autonomic maintenance of consciousness
Nuclear groups in the thalamus include:
anterior, medial, ventrolateral, reticular, intralaminar, midline
What does the ventrolateral nuclear group include?
Lateral and ventral nuclei, the pulvinar, medial and lateral geniculate bodies
What does the anterior nucleus form?
The anterior tubercle which is the posterior boundary of the interventricular foramen of Monro
The anterior nucleus receives limbic system information from the ___ via the ___
from the mammillary bodies via the mammillothalamic tract
Functions of anterior nucleus
Memory and emotions
What is Korsakoff’s psychosis (syndrome)?
Chronic sever alcoholism causes lesions typically around the third ventricle (especially the medial and anterior thalami nuclei, the mammillary bodies and or connections between them)
Results in short term memory loss which the patient attempts to compensate for by confabulating
The anterior nucleus projects to…
the cingulate gyrus and the frontal cortex
Medial group of nuclei receives information from…
basal ganglia, amygdala, the midbrain, and some spinothalamic fibers (emotional responses to pain)
Medial group of nuclei projects to ___
the prefrontal lobe
Functions of medial group of nuclei
Memory and behavior
