THALAMUS

GENERAL APPEARANCE OF HYPOTHALAMUS

-large, egg-shaped mass of gray matter that
forms the major part of the diencephalon
-Two (2) thalami, one situated on each side of
the third ventricle
 The Posterior end is expanded to form the
PULVINAR.
Interthalamic Connection (interthalamic
adhesion) a band of gray matter that
connects the two thalami
 SUBDIVISIONS OF THE
THALAMUS
Covering of the THALAMUS
Stratum zonale covers the superior surface
External Medullary Lamina covers the lateral
surface
Internal Medullary
Lamina vertical
sheet of white matter
that divides the GRAY
MATTER of
THALAMUS into
MEDIAL and Lateral
Haves.
 3 Main Parts of Thalamus
1. Anterior
2. Medial
3. Lateral
1. Anterior Part
- Contains the
anterior thalamic
nuclei
- receives resciprocal
connections with
the cingulate gyrus
and hypothalamus.
- Closely associated
with Limbic System
2. Medial Part.
-contains large
dorsomedial nucleus.
- Responsible for
integration of a large
variety of sensory
information including
somatic, visceral,
and olfactory
information
emotional feelings.
3. Lateral Part
Subdivided into a dorsal tier
and ventral tier.

a. Dorsal Tier
1.lateral dorsal nucleus
2. lateral posterior nucleus
3. pulvinar.
b. Ventral Tier
 Nuclei of the Vental Tier
1. . Ventral Anterior
nucleus
-connected to the
-reticular formation
-substantia nigra
-corpus striatum
-premotor cortex
- other thalamic
nuclei.
- Probably influences
the activities of the
motor cortex.
2. Ventral lateral nucleus.
- Has connections similar
to those of the ventral
anterior nucleus but, in
addition,
- has a major input from
the cerebellum and
- a minor input from the
red nucleus.
- Its main projections
pass to the motor and
premotor regions of
the cerebral cortex.
probably influences
motor activity.
3. Ventral posterior
nucleus

a. ventral posteromedial
nucleus
- Receives the ascending
trigeminal and
gustatory pathways

a. ventral posterolateral
nucleus
- receives the important
ascending sensory tracts,
the medial and spinal
lemnisci.
 Other Nuclei of the Thalamus

1. Intralaminar nuclei
- collections of nerve cells within the internal medullary
lamina.
-receive afferent fibers from the reticular formation
as well as fibers from the spinothalamic and
trigeminothalamic tracts;
- send efferent fibers to other thalamic nuclei cerebral
cortex, and fibers to the corpus striatum.
- believed to influence the levels of consciousness and
alertness in an individual.
Midline nuclei
- consist of groups of nerve cells adjacent to the
third ventricle and in the interthalamic
connection
- receive afferent fibers from the reticular
formation.
- Their precise functions are unknown.
Reticular nucleus
- thin layer of nerve cells sandwiched between
the external medullary lamina and the
posterior limb of the internal capsulle.
- Afferent fibers converge on this nucleus from
the cerebral cortex and the reticular
formation, and its output is mainly to other
thalamic nuclei.
- The function of this nucleus is not fully
understood, but it may be concerned with a
mechanism by which the cerebral cortex
regulates thalamicactivity
Medial geniculate body
- forms part of the auditory pathway
- a swelling on the posterior surface of the
thalamus beneath the pulvinar.
- Afferent fibers to the medial geniculate body
form the inferior brachium and come from
the inferior colliculus.
- receives auditory information from both ears
but predominantly from the opposite ear.
Lateral geniculate body
- forms part of the visual pathway
- swelling on the undersurface of the pulvinar
of the thalamus
- consists of six layers of nerve cells and is the
terminus of all but a few fibers of the optic
tract
- receives visual information from the opposite
field of vision
CONNECTIONS OF THE
THALAMUS
1.
All thalamic Nuclie Except RETICULAR NUCLEUS

Cerebral Cortex
2. Relay station for two sensory-motor axonal
loops involving cerebellum and basal nuclei
a. Cerebellar-rubro-thalamic-corticalponto-
cerebellar loop
b. Corticalstriatal-pallidalthalamic-cortical loop
 FUNCTION OF THE THALAMUS
1. The thalamus is made up of complicated
collections of nerve cells that are centrally placed in
the brain and are interconnected.

2. A vast amount of sensory information of all types

(except smell) converges on the thalamus and
presumably is integrated through the
interconnections between the nuclei.The resulting
information pattern is distributed to other parts of
the central nervous system.
3. Anatomically and functionally, the thalamus
and the cerebral cortex are closely linked.The
fiber connections have been established, and
-it is known that following removal of the cortex,
the thalamus can appreciate crude sensations.
- However, the cerebral cortex is required for the
interpretation of sensations based on past
experiences.
4. The thalamus possesses certain very important
nuclei whose connections have been clearly
established.
- These include the ventral posteromedial nucleus,
the ventralposterolateral nucleus, the medial
geniculate body, and the lateral geniculate body.
5. The ventroanterior and the ventrolateral
nuclei of the thalamus form part of the basal
nuclei circuit and thus are involved in the
performance of voluntary movements.
6. The large dorsomedial nucleus has extensive
connections with the frontal lobe cortex and
hypothalamus.

-There is considerable evidence that this nucleus

lies on the pathway that is concerned with
subjective feeling states and the personality of
the individual
7. The intralaminar nuclei are closely connected
with the activities of the reticular formation, and
they receive much of their information from this
source.

-enables them to control the level of overall

activity of the cerebral cortex.
-The intralaminar nuclei are thus able to
influence the levels of consciousness and
alertness in an individual