thalami
Sensory processing stations
Thalami is the plural of thalamus, a paired structure deep in the brain that serves as a relay station for sensory information traveling to the cerebral cortex.
Nearly all sensory input—visual, auditory, tactile—passes through the thalami before reaching conscious awareness.
In anatomy, the term also refers to the inner chamber of a flower where seeds develop, though the neurological sense dominates modern usage.
Brain's largest division
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- brainstemLower neural trunk
- ventriclesMuscular pumping chambers
- basal gangliaSubcortical motor-control nuclei
cerebellum · neocortex · grey matter · white matter · meninges · sulcus · gyrus · third ventricle
State of perceiving reality
- arousalStirring to heightened state
- wakefulnessState of being conscious
- alertnessActive mental awareness
- attentionFocused mental awareness
vigilance · sentience · sleep-wake cycle · anesthesia · coma
Mental interpretation of stimuli
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
- visual processingHow brains interpret images
- somatosensoryRelating to bodily sensation
- proprioceptionBody's spatial self-awareness
Acronym for dreaming phase
- dreamsInvoluntary sleep visions
- circadianDaily biological cycle
- sleep spindlesEEG bursts during light rest
- drowsinessState of near-sleep
somnolence · NREM · sleep regulation · nocturnal · insomnia · hypersomnia
Sudden brain blood blockage
- amnesiaPathological loss of recall
- Korsakoff syndromeAlcoholic amnesia disorder
- tremorInvoluntary rhythmic shaking
- dystoniaMovement disorder causing postures
lesion · infarct · hemorrhage
cerebrum
Brain's largest division
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- brainstemLower neural trunk
- ventriclesMuscular pumping chambers
basal ganglia · cerebellum · neocortex · grey matter · white matter · meninges · sulcus · gyrus · third ventricle
awareness
State of perceiving reality
- arousalStirring to heightened state
- wakefulnessState of being conscious
- alertnessActive mental awareness
attention · vigilance · sentience · sleep-wake cycle · anesthesia · coma
perception
Mental interpretation of stimuli
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
- visual processingHow brains interpret images
- somatosensoryRelating to bodily sensation
REM
Acronym for dreaming phase
- dreamsInvoluntary sleep visions
- circadianDaily biological cycle
- sleep spindlesEEG bursts during light rest
drowsiness · somnolence · NREM · sleep regulation · nocturnal · insomnia · hypersomnia
stroke
Sudden brain blood blockage
- amnesiaPathological loss of recall
- Korsakoff syndromeAlcoholic amnesia disorder
- tremorInvoluntary rhythmic shaking
dystonia · lesion · infarct · hemorrhage
thalamicerebral cortex
Brain's outer neural sheet
cortex · neocortex · cerebrum · prefrontal cortex · gyri
thalamiperipheral nerves
Neural pathways outside CNS
dorsal root ganglia · sensory receptors · spinal nerves · cranial nerves