Two new studies show that the thalamus--the small central brain structure often characterized as a mere pit-stop for sensory information on its way to the cortex--is heavily involved in sensory ...

Deep in the center of your brain, there is a walnut-sized center called the thalamus. Located right next to the brain stem, this tiny part of the brain is very important. Even though this complex part ...

Years ago, as a neurology resident, Chinfei Chen, MD, Ph.D., cared for a 20-year-old woman who had experienced a very small stroke, affecting only the thalamus. "It was so tiny that she wouldn't have ...

The dorsal thalamus, usually simply referred to as the thalamus is a subdivision of a brain area called the diencephalon, which also includes the eptithalamus, the ventral thalamus and the subthalamic ...

The thalamus is a small structure within the brain located just above the brain stem between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain and has extensive nerve connections to both. The primary function of ...

Every day, we constantly absorb information through our sensory organs, which the brain then needs to process correctly. The information initially reaches the thalamus and then travels to the cerebral ...

Researchers have identified a circuit in the anterior thalamus that is necessary for remembering how to navigate a maze. This region could offer a promising target for treatments that could help ...

When you see something—a tree in your backyard, say, or the toy your toddler hands you—that visual information travels from your retinas to your brain. And like a train stopping at stations along its ...