How Does The Thalamus Affect The Brain

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The thalamus is part of the diencephalon which lies below the cortex. Made up of 26 nuclei, it serves many purposes in the relaying of sensorimotor information. Many of the nuclei have relations to speech mechanisms. Some key nuclei for these mechanisms include: the lateral geniculate body, ventrolateral nucleus, ventral posterior lateral nucleus, ventral anterior, ventral posterior medial, medial geniculate body, and the pulvinar nucleus. Looking at each part of the thalamus anatomically and physiologically, people can better understand some of the affects caused by damage to this part of the brain.
The diencephalon is made up of four nuclear masses, of which the thalamus is the largest. The average size of the ovular shaped thalamus is three …show more content…
These thalamic nuclei can be organized functionally by what they each do. There are association nuclei that communicate to a specific related associated area of the cerebral cortex. These nuclei are afferent. The subcortical nuclei communicate with subcortical structures and have no direct communication to the cerebrum, so these nuclei are efferent. Looking at these two groups of nuclei, we can see the importance of each as they are necessary for relaying information through the system as a whole (Seikel 627). The thalamic nuclei can be organized functionally as well as spatially by the three distinct regions of the thalamus they are found in. They are put into one of three nuclear complexes: medial, lateral, or ventral. The medial and lateral nuclei are divided by the internal medullary lamina. (Bhatnagar 176). The ventral nuclei are on the bottom side of the thalamus. There are a few nuclei that stand out for those in the speech language …show more content…
These particular thalamic nuclei send all the body’s sensory information to the posterior partial lobes of the brain to complete a “body map” (Seikel 733). This “body map” allows the brain to understand the location and condition of all body parts in space. Without this key knowledge, the brain would not be able to identify a target for the motion. If this function was not in place, working along with the LGB, a person could go to grab a drink off a table and over or under shoot their hand. Visual-motor planning is the key to being able to control motor functions (Seikel
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