Thalamus

Question 1

the part of the diencephalon that gates the input of sensory and motor information from subcortical areas to specific cortical areas; crucial for conscious awareness

Answer 1

thalamus

Question 2

separates the medial and lateral thalamus

Answer 2

internal medullary lamina

Question 3

basal ganglia relay in the thalamus

Answer 3

ventral anterior nucleaus (VA)

Question 4

cerebellar relay in the thalamus

Answer 4

ventral lateral nucleus (VL)

Question 5

the two nuclei that constitute the motor thalamus

Answer 5

ventral anterior (VA) and ventral lateral (VL) nuclei

Question 6

nucleus that receives the (contralateral) spinothalamic and medial lemniscus inputs from the body

Answer 6

ventral posteriolateral nucleus (VPL)

Question 7

the part of the thalamus that consists of the medial and lateral geniculate, which relay auditory and visual information to the cortex

Answer 7

pulvinar

Question 8

type of thalamic nuclei that have reciprocal cortical connections and are important for the maintenance of spatial organization of inputs (e.g., retinotopy, somatotopy, musculotopy)

Answer 8

specific thalamic nuclei

Question 9

type of nuclei that are diffuse and have multimodal sensory inputs, are largely non-reciprocal with the cortex, and get strong input from the reticular formation (behavioral arousal and consciousness)

Answer 9

non-specific thalamic nuclei

Question 10

the VPL outputs limb and trunk somatosensory information to what part of the cortex?

Answer 10

postcentral gyrus

Question 11

nucleus that transmits somatosensory information from the trigeminothalamic system to the face portions of the postcentral gyrus

Answer 11

ventral posteriomedial nucleus (VPM)

Question 12

portion of the VPM that receives taste information from the NTS and is reciprocally connected with the anterior part of the insula (primary gustatory cortex)

Answer 12

parvicellular (VPMpc)

Question 13

Receives visual input via the optic tract, representing the contralateral visual field

Answer 13

lateral geniculate nuclei (LGN)

Question 14

projections from layers III-VI of the lateral geniculate nucleus that convey fine details about form and color from retinal cones

Answer 14

parvocellular projections

Question 15

projections from layers I and II of the lateral geniculate nucleus that convey information about movement, depth, and small differences in brightness from retinal rods

Answer 15

magnocellular projections

Question 16

inputs from the temporal and nasal retina end in what layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus?

Answer 16

temporal: layers 2,3,5
nasal: layers 1,4,6

Question 17

receives auditory input from the inferior colliculus

Answer 17

medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)

Question 18

nucleus that is reciprocally connected with primary visual cortex (V1) on the banks of the calcarine fissure in the occipital lobe

Answer 18

lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)

Question 19

nucleus that is reciprocally connected with the auditory cortex in Heschl’s gyrus of the temporal lobe

Answer 19

medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)

Question 20

the ventral lateral nucleus (VL) and ventral anterior nucleus (VA) are targeted by this common input bundle, carrying crossed cerebellothalamic fibers from the cerebellum, and uncrossed pallidothalamic fibers from the basal ganglia

Answer 20

thalamic fasciculus

Question 21

thalamic nucleus that receives crossed output of cerebellar deep nuclei (dentato-rubro-thalamic pathway) via the thalamic fasciculus

Answer 21

ventral lateral nucleus (VL)

Question 22

thalamic nucleus that receives segregated inhibitory input from the ipsilateral basal ganalia via the thalamic fasciculus, allowing you to perform automated, previously-learned movements

Answer 22

ventral anterior nucleus (VA)

Question 23

the ventral anterior nucleus (VA) is divided into two parts, each receiving inputs from the basal ganglia: the lateral part receives input from _______ and the medial part receives input from ________.

Answer 23

globus pallidus internal segment (GPi);

substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr)

Question 24

Effects of basal ganglia disease on motor function are expressed ________
because the lateral CST crosses in the medulla

Answer 24

contralaterally

Question 25

Effects of cerebellar disease are expressed _____, because the motor cortex (via VL) receives crossed cerebellar inputs, but the output (lateral CST) crosses back in the medulla.

Answer 25

ipsilaterally

Question 26

________ nuclei receive input from many thalamic nuclei and have non-reciprocal connections with the cortex, which allows for complex integration of stimuli in different sensory domains; examples include mediodorsal nucleus (MD) and pulvinar

Answer 26

association

Question 27

a type of association nucleus in the thalamus that relays inputs from the basal forebrain to the limbic system and prefrontal cortex; plays crucial role in attention, planning, organization, abstract thinking, multi-tasking and active memory

Answer 27

mediodorsal nucleus (MD)

Question 28

complex structure that receives input from the retina, superior colliculus and (indirectly) from the spinothalamic tract; lesions here affect language processesing, visual perception, and pain perception

Answer 28

pulvinar

Question 29

nucleus with uncertain function that works in concert with the pulvinar

Answer 29

lateral posterior nucleus (LP)

Question 30

nuclei that receive input from parahippocampal region through the fornix, and mammillary bodies via the mammillothalamic tract; has densest cholinergic input from the midbrain and projects to the cingulate gyrus

Answer 30

anterior group (AN) nuclei

Question 31

feedback pathway that is primarily engaged in transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory

Answer 31

papez circuit

Question 32

nucleus that receives input from parahippocampal region via fornix and acts in concert with the anterior nuclei of thalamus; relays spatial information to the parietal and retrosplenial cortices

Answer 32

laterodorsal nucleus (LD)

Question 33

severe degerenative changes in the anterior group of nuclei found in alcoholics with amnesia

Answer 33

korsakoff's syndrome

Question 34

non-specific thalamic nuclei that mostly receive pain-related information from midbrain PAG, as well as strong inputs from locus ceruleus (NE) and midbrain raphe (5-HT); believed to be involved with general cortical arousal

Answer 34

midline nuclear group

Question 35

group of thalamic nuclei that receive strong cholinergic input from ARAS; lesions of this nucleus lead to unilateral motor neglect, so it is thought to be involved in attention to motor tasks

Answer 35

intralaminar group of nuclei (including centromedian nucleus)

Question 36

Thalamic relay neurons are usually relatively hyperpolarized in a “de-inactivated" ____ mode, which is generally less able to pass an incoming signal to the cortex, but maximizes initial stimulus detection.

Answer 36

burst

Question 37

these thalamic cells are GABAergic and hyperpolarize thalamic relay neurons, leaving them primed for bursting activity

Answer 37

intralaminar cells

Question 38

these cells lie outside of the external medullary lamina, encasing the thalamus like a shell, and use GABAergic signalling to switch the thalamocortical neurons from burst mode to single-spike tonic mode (which makes the thalamus capable of passing a signal on)

Answer 38

thalamic reticular nuclei (TRN)

Question 39

large, boomerang shaped tract of white matter carrying ascending and descending fibers to and from the cortex

Answer 39

internal capsule

Question 40

blood supply to the thalamus is mostly from what artery?

Answer 40

PCA