The Thalamus

Front 1

What is one of the presumed principal purpose of the sensory thalamus?

Back 1

To present a target for the descending cortical influence to refine and focus the ascending sensory stream.

Front 2

What things is the thalamus associated with?

Back 2

Wakefulness/sleep, attention, emotion, most sophisticated states associated with conscious awareness.

Front 3

Anterior Nuclear Group:
Nuclei; Input; Cortical Connections

Back 3

None important;
Limbic system;
Cingulate Gyrus

Front 4

Medial Nuclear Group:
Nuclei; Input; Cortical Connections

Back 4

Mediodorsal;
Olfactory coretex and spinothalamic afferents;
Pain is passed to prefrontal cortex
Olfactory is passed to insular & orbitofrontal cortex;

Front 5

Lateral Nuclear Group:
Nuclei; Input; Cortical Connections

Back 5

Lateral dorsal, Pulvinar posterior, Lateral posterior;
Limbic system, many others;
Cingulate gyrus, parietal, temportal, occipital (association cortex)

Front 6

Intralaminar Group:
Nuclei; Input; Cortical Connections

Back 6

Centromedian (largest of group); Globus pallidus & pars reticulata of Substantia nigra; Motor cortex & striatum

Sheet like; Ascending input from the spinal cord (spinothalamic), reticular formation, others; Difuse

Front 7

Ventral Nuclear Group;
Nuclei

Back 7

Ventral lateral & Ventral anterior

Ventral posterior nucleus (Posterolateral, Posteromedial)

Medial geniculate body

Lateral geniculate body

Front 8

Auditory pathway of the thalamus:
Name;
Origin;
Termination;

Back 8

Brachium of the Inferior Colliculus;
Ipsi inferior colliculus;
medial geniculate body

Front 9

Touch pathway of the thalamus:
Name;
Origin;
Termination;

Back 9

Medial lemniscus;
contra nucleus gracilis & cuneatus;
Ventral posteriolateral nucleus

Front 10

Pain, heat pathway of the thalamus:
Name;
Origin;
Termination;

Back 10

Anteriolateral system;
contra dorsal horn;
Ventral posteriolateral nucleus

Front 11

Facial senstation pathway of the thalamus:
Name;
Origin;
Termination;

Back 11

Trigeminothalamic tract;
contra spinal nucleus V;
Ventral posteriomedial nucleus

Front 12

Taste, viscerosenstation pathway of the thalamus:
Name;
Origin;
Termination;

Back 12

Solitariothalamic tract;
ipsi nucleus solitarius;
Ventral posteriomedial nucleus

Front 13

The lateral geniculate body (LGB) projects to?

Back 13

The lateral geniculate body (LGB) projects to THE PRIMARY VISUAL CORTEX (V1) OF THE OCCIPITAL LOBE.

Front 14

The medial geniculate body (LGB) projects to?

Back 14

The medial geniculate body (LGB) projects to THE PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX IN THE TEMPORAL LOBE.

Front 15

The Pulvinar is?

Back 15

The Pulvinar is a collection of nuclei located in the most posterior region of the thalamus.

Front 16

Pulvinar means what in Latin?

Back 16

"empty throne" e.g. a seat for god

Front 17

What are the 4 subnuclei of the pulvinar?

Back 17

The oral,
 inferior, 
lateral, 
and 
medial subnuclei make up the thalamus.

Front 18

What inputs/outputs does the inferior & lateral pulivar have?

Back 18

Widespread connections with the visual cortical association areas.

Front 19

What inputs/outputs does the oral pulvinar have?

Back 19

Predominantly with somatosensory cortical association areas.

Front 20

What inputs/outputs does the medial pulvinar have?

Back 20

Widespread connections with cingulate, posterior parietal, and prefrontal cortical areas.

Front 21

How is the pulvinar represented across species?

Back 21

It varies largely. In humans it accounts for 40% of the Thalamus.

Front 22

What other names is the pulvinar known as?

Back 22

Grouped as lateral posterior pulvinar complex.

Front 23

What does the pulvinar have to do with attention?

Back 23

The pulvinar has input from the superior colliculus that influences pulvinar output to V2 in the visual cortex, which regulates visual attention.

Front 24

What is the pulvinar though to be concerned with, visually?

Back 24

Primarily with the location of an object in space and less related to shape or pattern of an object.

Front 25

What is the ventrobasal complex and where is it located?

Back 25

Just 
rostral 
to 
the 
geniculates 
is 
the 
ventrobasal 
complex,
 the 
somatosensory 
thalamus 
(VPL/VPM)
.

Front 26

Where does the ventral posteriolateral nucleus receive input from?

Back 26

It receives input from the dorsal columns & the spinothalamic pathways, but the two remain segregated.

Front 27

Where does the ventral posteriomedial nucleus receive input from?

Back 27

It receives input from trigeminothalamic fibers, conveying sensation from the face and head. Gustatory (taste) sensation from solitary nucleus.

Front 28

Is the intralaminar nucleus phylogenetically old or new?

Back 28

Old.

Front 29

Where does the intralaminar nucleus receive input from?

Back 29

The cerebral cortex, vestibular nuclei, globus pallidus, superior colliculus, reticular formation, and spinothalamic tract.

Front 30

Where does the intralaminar nucleus send output to?

Back 30

The putamen, caudate, and collaterals to the cortex.

Front 31

What is the physiologic
 role
 of
 the

centromedian nucleus?

Back 31

The physiologic
 role
 of
 the

centromedian
 involves

attention
 and
 arousal,

including
 control
 of

cortical 
activity.

Front 32

Where does the mediodorsal nucleus receive its input from?

Back 32

The 
mediodorsal 
nucleus
 (MD)

receives
 pain
 afferents
 from
 the

lateral
 spinothalamic
 and

trigeminothalamic
 tracts,
 and

descending
 input
 from
 olfactory

cortex - this
 is 
the 
only 
way 
that 

olfactory 
afferent 
input 

reaches 
the 
thalamus 
–

by 
way 
of 
the 
cortex.


Front 33

Where does the mediodorsal nucleus output?

Back 33

Targets
 include
 frontal

lobes
 and
 insular/
orbitofrontal
 cortex.

Front 34

What makes up the motor thalamus?

Back 34

The Ventral
 anterior
 and
 ventro‐

lateral
 nuclei.

Front 35

Where do the Ventral
 anterior
 and
 ventro‐lateral
 nuclei receive input from?

Back 35

They receive cerebellar 
and 

basal 
ganglia 
input.

Front 36

Where do the Ventral
 anterior
 and
 ventro‐lateral
 nuclei project to?

Back 36

They 
project 
to 

pre‐motor 
and 

supplemental 

motor 
cortex

(areas 
4 
and 
6)
.

Front 37

Where does the
 anterior
 nuclear
 group
 receive input from?

Back 37

The
 anterior
 nuclear
 group

receives
 input
 from
 the

mammillothalamic
 tract
 and

limbic
 system.

Front 38

Where is the anterior
 nuclear
 group
 located?

Back 38

The rostral end of the dorsal thalamus

Front 39

Where does the anterior nuclear group project?

Back 39

It projects to the cingulate gyrus, which can be thought of as the motor cortex of the limbic system (visceromotor).

Front 40

What is the reticular nucleus (RT) of the thalamus?

Back 40

A nucleus under cortical control, which provides inhibitory input to various thalamic nuclei, whether or not they have intrinsic inhibitory cells.

Front 41

Where is the reticular nucleus located?

Back 41

The reticular nucleus is a shell of GABAergic neurons surrounding the anterior and lateral aspects of the thalamus just inside the internal capsule.