What are the components of the thalamus?

Functionally, the thalamus divides into five major functional components as[6]:

Reticular and intralaminar nuclei dealing with arousal and pain regulation.
Sensory nuclei regulating all sensory domains except olfaction.
Effector nuclei governing motor language function.
Associative nuclei connoting cognitive functions.

What cells are in the thalamus?

Thalamus is comprised of 3 basic cell types: relay cells, interneurons, and cells of the thalamic reticular nucleus (Fig. 1) (for details, see Sherman and Guillery, 1996; Sherman and Guillery, 2013). Each of these may be further subdivided, but the complete classification of these cell types has yet to be done.

What is the function of the thalamus in the brain?

The thalamus is part of the limbic system, the region of the brain largely associated with the emotions and is essential to memory and learning. The thalamus joins a series of other machinery whose purpose is to distill sensory information into a more interpretable and manageable form for higher brain sections.

Is the thalamus in the cerebrum?

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. As with the other parts of the brain, it is divided into sections. These include the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epitheliums.

How does the thalamus affect behavior?

In addition, the thalamic nuclei are strongly and reciprocally linked with the cerebral cortex. These form the thalamo-cortico-thalamic circuits which are thought to regulate consciousness and the thalamus plays a significant role in arousal, wakefulness and alertness.

How does the thalamus affect you?

The thalamus plays a role in our memory, emotions, sleep-wake cycle, executive functions, processing sensory input, and sensorimotor control. When a stroke affects the thalamus, it can impair some of these functions — especially the processing and transmission of sensory information.

Can the thalamus repair itself?

Not much is known about the basics of neuroplasticity of TBI and brain structures involved in it. Our review provides evidence that thalamus is naturally involved in recovery process as in mild TBIs.

What happens if the thalamus is damaged?

The thalamus receives sensory information from all of the sensory systems (except smell) and passes it on to the relevant primary cortical area. Additionally, it helps regulate levels of alertness and consciousness. Damage to the thalamus can result in a permanent coma (Lumen 2017).

How many nuclei are there in the thalamus?

The thalamus is made up of various structures called nuclei, which each contain projections into different parts of the brain. These nuclei all receive and transmit a different type of information. The nuclei are made up of neurons, mostly thalamic relay neurons. There are up to 60 different nuclei that have been identified in the thalamus.

Is the thalamus a part of the cerebral cortex?

The thalamus can be defined as a group of nuclei which act in a unified way as a final relay station for messages going to the cerebral cortex. Thalamus makes one of the two parts of diencephalon – the part of the brain located just below the cerebral cortex and above the mesencephalon – with the other being the hypothalamus.

Is the thalamus a part of the diencephalon?

[edit on Wikidata] The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος, “chamber”) is a large mass of gray matter in the dorsal part of the diencephalon of the brain with several functions such as relaying of sensory signals, including motor signals to the cerebral cortex, and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

Why is the thalamus the brain’s relay station?

Most neurologists refer to the thalamus as the brain’s relay station. That’s because almost all sensory information must pass through it before moving on to the cerebral cortex. These sensory signals travel up the spinal cord and into the thalamus, which lies just above the brainstem.