OPTION 1

 

Thalamus

• Functionally it is considered as the great sensory gateway to the cerebral cortex
• It relays received information to the cerebral cortex from diverse brain regions.
• Axons from every sensory system (except olfaction) synapse in the thalamus as the last relays site before the information reaches the cerebral cortex.
• There are some thalamic nuclei that receive input from cerebellar nuclei, basal ganglia and limbic-related brain regions.
• Its function includes relaying sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, along with the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

⸙ Key concept     

• Thalamus forms the relay center for the sensations like taste, hearing and vision.
• The impulses of almost all the sensations reach the thalamic nuclei, particularly in the ventral posterolateral nucleus.
• After being processed in the thalamus, the impulses are carried to cerebral cortex through thalamocortical fibers.