-largest structure in the diencephalon

-relay station for sensory information from the spinal cord and brainstem

-transmits motor-related info from cortex

-involved in regulating a wide range of signals related to emotion, memory, autonomic control

relay nucleus of the posterior thalamus that is associated with vision, whose axons project to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe

relay nucleus of the posterior thalamus that is associated with hearing, whose axons project to the primary auditory cortex in the temporal love

-relays within the limbic system

-emotion, memory, learning

integration of sensory and emotional information

-sensory, motor, and integrative information

-VPM and VPL

relay for the medial lemniscus and spinothalamic tracts

relay for the trigeminal system

-damage to VPM and lateral nuclei

-loss of sensation from contralateral side of head and body

-parasthesias and allodynia

tingling or burning

painful response to non-painful stimuli

-regulates and maintains the body's homeostasis

-employs the pituitary gland and the autonomic, sensorimotor, and limbic systems (body growth, terms control, reproduction, etc.)

-can initiate visceral and emotional outputs

-integration of information for automatic responses

-learning, memory, emotional processing, instinctive behavior

-midsaggital

-extends into temporal lobe for connection with amygdala and hippocampus, extends into frontal lobe for emotion

olfactory tract, anterior thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, mammillary bodies

-bilateral subcortical grey matter

-associative learning, spatial learning, consolidation of factual and episodic memories

-bilateral subcortical grey matter

-"threat indicator' to indicate need for sympathetic nervous system

-not just for fear, all high emotional valence experiences

-motor relay nuclei responsible for smooth, precise muscle activity

-striatum (CP), lenticular nuclei (PG), subthalamic nucleus, substanstia nigra

-regulates the duration of a selected action

-decide whether another action is of enough importance and value to interrupt the existing action

-choose when to terminate the current action

connect multiple areas within a hemisphere for deeper processing

-cortical areas on one side connect to matched area on other side via the corpus callosum

-cross-hemisphere sharing of info is important for skill acquisition and learning

motor information descends through the internal capsule to the cerebral peduncles

-sensory information ascends from the thalamus through the internal capsule to the cortex

hippocampus to mammillary bodies, part of the limbic system

tract connecting the hemispheres to the thalamus and brain stem

tract connecting across areas of cortex within each hemisphere

tract connecting and communicating between two hemispheres

small white matter interconnections across the hemispheres

anterior brain regions to the brain stem for pleasure/reward system

sends commands from the CNS to PNS to muscle

plans and programs commands

delivers commands to certain areas of the body

control skeletal muscle function

decussates at the level of the cranial nerve nuclei

decussates in the medulla and continue ipsilaterally to synapse on lower motor neurons

-innervate specific skeletal muscle

-axons projecting through anterior roots and spinal nerves

-motor and sensory information from cortex

-interneurons that gate and coordinate actions

-modulation from the brain stem

innervate skeletal muscle at neuromuscular junction

help monitor and trigger stretch sensory receptors

smallest functional unit of nerve+muscle

number of muscle fibers innervated by one motor neuron

low ratio

high ratio

as the need for force increases during a behavior, motor units are recruited into action in an orderly manner based on their size

-motor nerves are efferent along similar path as afferent sensory nerves

-both motor and sensory

-do not innervate skin, but muscle groups instead, so map is imperfect

exerts direct command upon lower motor neurons

modulates plans of the direct system which has downstream effects

primary motor command center (M1/BA4)