Thalamuskerne

Thalamuskerne are the nuclei of the thalamus, a paired structure in the diencephalon. The thalamus serves as a major relay and integration center for sensory and motor information, as well as a contributor to cognitive and arousal processes. The nuclei are traditionally organized into several groups: anterior, ventral, dorsal (including lateral and medial), pulvinar, and midline or intralaminar nuclei.

Relay nuclei transmit modality-specific information to corresponding cortical areas: the ventral posterior nucleus to the primary somatosensory cortex; the lateral geniculate nucleus to the primary visual cortex; the medial geniculate nucleus to the primary auditory cortex; and the ventral lateral and ventral anterior nuclei to premotor and motor areas. Higher-order and association nuclei, such as the pulvinar and mediodorsal nucleus, project broadly to association cortices and participate in attention, language, memory, and executive functions.

Functions attributed to the thalamic nuclei include regulating the flow of information to the cortex, synchronizing neural activity, modulating sensory gain and perceptual salience, and contributing to consciousness and alertness through intralaminar nuclei. The thalamus also interacts with the basal ganglia and cerebellum to coordinate movement.

Clinical relevance of thalamic nuclei is seen in various conditions. Lesions can cause sensory deficits contralaterally, thalamic pain syndrome, memory and language disturbances, or altered levels of consciousness. Thalamic deep brain stimulation has been explored as a treatment for certain movement disorders and refractory epilepsy.