Lecture 3 - Thalamus

Question 1

Overall function of the thalamus?

Answer 1

relay station - determines level of neural firing to higher processing; control sensitivity

Question 2

Ventero-posterior nuclei?

Answer 2

responsible for afferent information from spinal cord to sensory cortex; medial to lateral is head to toe homonculus

Question 3

Ventro-anterior and ventral-lateral nuclei?

Answer 3

information to motor planning cortex via basal ganglia

Question 4

Papez’s circuit?

Answer 4

parahippocampal gyrus -> hippocampus -> fornix mamillary body -> anterior thalamic nucleus -> cingulate gyrus -> start (frontal cortex back and forth around last arrow)

Question 5

Medial dorsal, lateral dorsal and lateral posterior nuclei?

Answer 5

integration of sensory input association cortices (frontal and parietal)

Question 6

Pulvinar nuclei?

Answer 6

secondary visual info

Question 7

medial geniculate nucleus?

Answer 7

input from auditory nerve -> relay to primary auditory cortex

Question 8

Lateral geniculate nucleus?

Answer 8

relay from eyes to visual cortices