Thalamus

Internal Capsule

the pathway through which fibers traveling between the thalamus and cortex

internal medullary lamina

thin lines of myelin that divides the thalamus into medial and lateral groups, the y shaped thing

Lateral Dorsal Nucleus

thought to be functionally related to the anterior nucleus, input from the hippocampus, projects to the cingulate cortex, part of the limbic circuit

Genu

transition zone or elbow, it contains VA and VL fibers tot he motor cortex

parafascicular

eep what is this

Dorsal medial nucleus

functions in memory, planning and affect, input from the prefrontal cortex, olfactory, and limbic, outputs to the prefrontal cortex

Anterior Nuclei (Thalamus)

has some role in emotional learning (not entirely clear), input from the hippocampus via the mammillary bodies, projects to the posterior cingulate cortex

thalamic stroke

hemiparesis or hemiplegia with ipsilateral sensory impairment

Pulvinar

input and output to parietal, occipital and temporal lobes

Medial Geniculate Nucleus

input from brachium of the inferior colliculi, output to the auditory cortex

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus

input from optic tract, output to the visual cortex

VentralPosterolateral

input from the medial lemniscus (Body), and spinothalamic tracts (body) to the somatosensory cortex

Subthalamus Anatomy

(I think it's B in the diagram) - lens shaped, interconnected to the Basal Ganglia, contains sub thalamic nuclei + zona incerta

Parts of the Internal Capsule

Anterior Limb, Genu, Posterior Limb,

Epithalamus

Habenular nuclei + Pineal Gland

centromedian

It receives nerve fibres from the cerebral cortex, vestibular nuclei, globus pallidus, superior colliculus, reticular formation, and spinothalamic tract. It sends nerve fibres to the subthalamic nucleus and putamen

random shit about the thalamus

all thalamic nuclei, with the exception of the reticular thalamic nucleus, project primarily to the cerebral cortex & receives reciprocal connections from these cortical areas

Lateral Posterior Nucleus

association nucleus that takes input from as well outputs back to the parietal lobe

Intralaminar Nuclei

both receive and project to diffuse or nonspecific regions (CM)

Posterior Limb

contain: -sensory fibers - largely derived from the thalamus, though some may be continued upward from the medial lemniscus -retrolenticular part - the fibers of optic radiation, from the lateral geniculate to the occipital visual areas -sublenticular part - acoustic fibers from the lateral lemniscus to the temporal lobe -fiber which pass from the occipital and temporal lobes to the pontine nuclei

Anterior Limb

contains fibers running form the thalamus to the frontal lobe, corticospinal tract

The internal capsule continues as the ____________________ as the white matter tracts rise up to the cortex

corona radiata

Pineal Gland

it is often opaque on X-rays due to calcium carbonate accumulation

VentroPosteromedial

medial lemniscus (face), spinothalamic, tracts (face) to the somatosensory

VentroAnterior Nuc.

motor relay nuclei, input from BG and Cerebellum, projects to the motor cortex (What's the difference between VA and VL)

Ventrolateral Nuc.

motor relay, input from basal ganglia and cerebellum, output to the motor cortex

External Medullary Lamina

myelinated sheet that covers the thalamus

Thalamus (anatomy)

pair of large, egg-shaped nuclear masses, makes up about 80% of the diencephalon, receives blood supply from the branches of the posterior cerebral artery

Reticular nuclei

part of the ventral thalamus that forms a capsule around the thalamus laterally, input from the cerebral cortex and dorsal thalamic nuclei. This is the only thalamic nucleus that does not project to the cerebral cortex, instead it modulates the information from other nuclei in the thalamus. Its function is modulatory on signals going through thalamus (and the reticular nucleus).

Association Nuclei

receives input from specific areas and projects back to those areas (LD, LP, DM, Pulvinar)

Relay Nuclei

relay information from a specific sensory modality to its corresponding cortical area (VPM, VPL, Geniculate nuclei, anterior, VL, VA)

Thalamus (function)

relays information to the cortex, processes and filters information

Habenula function

role in modulating other circuits, plays a role in reward circuit

Habenular nuclei (Ha)

rostral to the pineal gland, it links the basal ganglia, limbic and hypothalamus

Pineal Gland (Pi)

sits rostrally to the superior colliculi, involved in circadian rhythm, consists of secretory cells called pinealocytes which are involved in secretion of melatonin during darkness,

Habenula

small swelling on each side of the base of the pineal stalk under which is the ________