Neuroscience Bite: The Thalamus

The best way to think of the Thalamus is that it is a relay station - incoming signals go through the thalamus to the cortex and outgoing signals go through the thalamus to the motor system and other regions of the peripheral nervous system.

Now, another key thing to understand about the Thalamus is that it is not a single structure, but it is a name for a collection of nuclei, each of which is a "mini" relay station.

For example, incoming visual information from the eyes goes through the Pulvinar nucleus of the Thalamus to the Primary Visual Cortex.

Thalamic Nuclei (and their role)

Anterior Nucleus                                Memory and Emotion
Dorsomedial Nucleus                        Executive Function

Ventral Posterolateral Nucleus        Relays information about pain, temperature, and touch
Ventral Posteromedial Nucleus       Sensory information from the face
Ventral Anterior Nucleus.                 Relays information from the muscles about movement
Ventrolateral Nucleus                       Relays motor information
Lateral Posterior Nucleus                 Attention - helps prioritize sensory information
Pulvinar Nucleus                                Visual processing
Medial Geniculate Nucleus               Processes auditory information
Lateral Geniculate Nucleus               Visual processing
Reticular Nucleus                               Sort of controls the Thalamus as a whole - the outer layer