Thalamus News and Research

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The Thalamus is an area of the brain that helps process information from the senses and transmit it to other parts of the brain.

Study suggests severe neuroinvasion by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with alcohol use disorder

Researchers investigated the effect of repeated alcohol exposure and withdrawal on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2 expression, putative regulators of SARS-CoV-2 entry, in discrete brain regions.

4 Apr 2022

Studies provide a pathway to better understand the return of consciousness after TBI

The return of consciousness after traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains something of a mystery for scientists and is not easy to predict.

31 Mar 2022

Rat study shows how several brain regions work together to acquire a skill and replicate it

Learning a complex skilled movement like tying your shoes or playing an instrument takes practice. After repeating the same movements over and over, people often develop a formulaic way of performing the task, and may not even have to think about it anymore.

14 Mar 2022

Brain network that triggers the execution of planned movement discovered

Planned movement is essential to our daily lives, and it often requires delayed execution. As children, we stood crouched and ready but waited for the shout of "GO!" before sprinting from the starting line.

14 Mar 2022

Study reveals the thalamocortical mechanism for nostalgia-induced analgesia

Ever noticed that looking at photos of good times with family or friends diminishes the pain of your headache? Nostalgia has already been shown to be helpful with pain relief, and a new study has now revealed the thalamocortical mechanism for nostalgia-induced analgesia.

28 Feb 2022

Viewing nostalgic images reduces pain perception

Reflecting on fond memories goes a step beyond making you feel warm and fuzzy: nostalgia can reduce pain perception. Nostalgia decreases activity in pain-related brain areas and decreases subjective ratings of thermal pain, according to research recently published in JNeurosci.

25 Feb 2022

Being fit can protect older people against mild cognitive impairment

Seventy- to eighty-year-olds who train for better fitness are better at solving cognitive tasks and are less likely to suffer cognitive impairment.

10 Feb 2022

Breathing coordinates neuronal activity in the brain regions during sleep

LMU neuroscientists have shown that breathing coordinates neuronal activity throughout the brain during sleep and quiet.

24 Jan 2022

Study reveals how the brain’s blue spot shapes selective attention

How can we shift from a state of inattentiveness to one of highest attention? The locus coeruleus, literally the "blue spot," is a tiny cluster of cells at the base of the brain.

7 Jan 2022

Changes in white matter connections during development linked to psychosis risk

Brain imaging studies have shown structural and functional abnormalities in people with psychosis in the connections between the cortex and the thalamus, the major waystation for incoming sensory information and a critical regulator of cortical activity.

22 Dec 2021

MRI uncovers significant changes in the brain structure of fetuses exposed to alcohol

In the first MRI-based study to investigate pre-natal alcohol exposure, researchers found significant changes in the brain structure of fetuses exposed to alcohol compared to healthy controls. Results of the study are being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 moves between permissive cells and non-permissive neuronal cells via tunneling nanotubes (TNT)

Scientists investigate the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in spreading the infection to neighboring cells.

23 Nov 2021

Study shows how inadequate sleep can jeopardize brain organization in early adolescence

We all know that if we don't get enough sleep or don't sleep well, we won't be on top of our game the next day.

22 Nov 2021

New method could provide in-depth understanding of the brain's visual sensory thalamus

Neuroscientists at Technische Universität Dresden discovered a novel, non-invasive imaging-based method to investigate the visual sensory thalamus, an important structure of the human brain and point of origin of visual difficulties in diseases such as dyslexia and glaucoma.

8 Oct 2021

Scientists make inroads into creating an atlas of the mouse brain

It takes billions of cells to make a human brain, and scientists have long struggled to map this complex network of neurons.

6 Oct 2021

Study highlights sex differences in the brain biology that controls alcohol drinking behaviors

A brain circuit that works as a "brake" on binge alcohol drinking may help explain male-female differences invulnerability to alcohol use disorders, according to a preclinical study led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine.

5 Oct 2021

Withdrawal from psychostimulants alters functional architecture and patterns in the brain

Addictive psychostimulants, from nicotine in cigarettes to illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, affect different regions of the brain. The same is believed true during withdrawal; finding a common brain pathway has proved elusive.

27 Sep 2021

Children in poverty have smaller volumes of certain subcortical brain regions, study finds

Children in poverty are more likely to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties than their better-off peers. Plenty of past research has looked into the physical effects of childhood poverty, or documented mental health disparities between socioeconomic classes.

16 Aug 2021

New understanding of the brain’s relay station could change medical treatment for brain disorders

New research shows cells gather more data than once believed inside the thalamus, a relay station of sensory and motor abilities in the brain. That could change how medicine treats schizophrenia, epilepsy and other brain disorders.

30 Jul 2021

New technique identifies specific neural pathways involved in executive functions of the brain

The human brain is a wonderfully enigmatic organ, helping to juggle multiple tasks efficiently to help us get through a long day! This feature, called executive function, seats primates like us at the pinnacle of evolution.

2 Jul 2021