What is Thalamocortical?

Thalamocortical radiations are the nerve fibers between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. Functionally, thalamocortical radiations, also called thalamocortical fibers, relay sensory or motor information from the thalamus to distinct areas of the cerebral cortex through relay neurons.

What are Corticothalamic projections?

Corticothalamic projection neurons (CThPN) are critical for neocortical function, but molecular controls over their development and diversity are unknown. Galazo et al. (2016) identify a set of novel CThPN developmental controls and identify Fog2 as a critical control over CThPN diversity.

What does thalamus stand for?

Your thalamus is your body’s information relay station. All information from your body’s senses (except smell) must be processed through your thalamus before being sent to your brain’s cerebral cortex for interpretation. Your thalamus also plays a role in sleep, wakefulness, consciousness, learning and memory.

What messages does the thalamus send?

The thalamus carries messages from the sensory organs like the eyes, ears, nose, and fingers to the cortex. The hypothalamus controls your pulse, thirst, appetite, sleep patterns, and other processes in your body that happen automatically.

What are Thalamocortical axons?

The thalamocortical (TC) projection in the mammalian brain is a suitable system to investigate axon guidance and targeting mechanisms. During development, sensory TC axons grow in the cortical plate, and form branches and synapses preferentially in layer IV of the primary sensory areas in the cerebral cortex1,2.

What are projection fibers?

Projection fibers of the brain, also known as projection tracts of the brain are a type of white matter tract that connects the cortex with other areas in the CNS, e.g. deep nuclei, brainstem, cerebellum or spine. They may be efferent (motor) or afferent tracts (sensory).

What is an example of thalamus?

Thalamic nuclei For example, the lateral geniculate body receives information from the optic tract, and then outputs that information to the primary visual cortex.

How does the thalamus work?

The thalamus is a mostly gray matter structure of the diencephalon that has many essential roles in human physiology. The thalamus is composed of different nuclei that each serve a unique role, ranging from relaying sensory and motor signals, as well as regulation of consciousness and alertness.

What are sensory cortices?

Sensory cortex refers to all cortical areas associated with sensory function. In the case of vision, this includes virtually all of the occipital cortex and much of the temporal and parietal cortex.

What do projection tracts do?

Projection fibers Projection tracts connect the cerebral cortex with the corpus striatum, diencephalon, brainstem and the spinal cord. The corticospinal tract for example, carries motor signals from the cerebrum to the spinal cord. Other projection tracts carry signals upward to the cerebral cortex.

What are projection neurons?

Definition. Broadly defined, projection neurons are neurons whose axons extend from the neuronal cell body within the central nervous system (CNS) to one or more distant regions of the CNS.