thalamus

Also known as thalamencephalon, Tálamo dorsal, tálamo dorsal

The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all directions, known as the thalamocortical radiations, allowing hub-like exchanges of information. It has several functions, such as the relaying of sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

AI overview

The thalamus is a large mass of gray matter deep in the brain that acts as a central hub, receiving information from your senses and body and sending it out to the cerebral cortex in all directions. It plays crucial roles in relaying sensory and motor signals throughout your brain and in controlling consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Brain.Name: Thalamus ...
Brain.Latin: thalamus dorsalis
Brain.Image: Brain_chrischan thalamus.jpg
Brain.Caption: Thalamus marked (MRI cross-section)
Brain.Image2: Thalamus chart.jpg
Brain.Caption2: Visual depiction of basic thalamus
Brain.IsPartOf: Diencephalon
Brain.Components: See List of thalamic nuclei
Brain.Artery: Posterior cerebral artery and branches

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

70,588 papers

Routes of the thalamus through the history of neuroanatomy.ReviewNeuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2021Cassel JC, Pereira de Vasconcelos ADOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.001
The Cerebellar Thalamus.ReviewCerebellum (London, England) · 2019Habas C, Manto M, Cabaraux PDOI: 10.1007/s12311-019-01019-3
Thalamus and pain.ReviewActa anaesthesiologica Taiwanica : official journal of the Taiwan Society of Anesthesiologists · 2013Yen CT, Lu PLDOI: 10.1016/j.aat.2013.06.011
Thalamus of Reptiles and Mammals: Some Significant Differences.ReviewBrain, behavior and evolution · 2025Pritz MBDOI: 10.1159/000542100
[Dominant Thalamus and Aphasia].ReviewBrain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo · 2015Nakano A, Shimomura TDOI: 10.11477/mf.1416200327
Sensory thalamus function, plasticity and neuromodulation in health and disease.ReviewBrain research bulletin · 2025Paricio-Montesinos R, Gründemann JDOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111508
[Anatomy of the Thalamus].ReviewBrain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo · 2015Ide S, Kakeda S, Korogi YDOI: 10.11477/mf.1416200323
Thalamus and penile erection.ReviewInternational journal of impotence research · 2004Temel Y, Visser-Vandewalle V, Ackermans L et al.DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijir.3901233

via PubMed

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections

Contents

Anatomy
Thalamic nuclei
Blood supply
Connections
Function
Development
Early brain development
Formation of progenitor domains
The formation of the mid-diencephalic organiser (MDO)
Maturation and parcellation of the thalamus
Clinical significance
Additional images
See also
References
External links

Anatomically, the thalami are paramedian symmetrical structures (left and right), within the vertebrate brain, situated between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain. It forms during embryonic development as the main product of the diencephalon, as first recognized by the Swiss embryologist and anatomist Wilhelm His Sr. in 1893.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “thalamus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.