thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈtha-lə-məs 

plural thalami ˈtha-lə-ˌmī 

-ˌmē

: the largest subdivision of the diencephalon that consists chiefly of an ovoid mass of nuclei in each lateral wall of the third ventricle and serves chiefly to relay impulses and especially sensory impulses to and from the cerebral cortex see brain illustration

thalamic

thə-ˈla-mik 

adjective

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Using state-of-the-art brain imaging scanners to guide the exact location of the target, Rosenow inserted a 1.25-millimeter-wide electrode into the thalamus, the part of the brain that, among other things, relays motor and sensory signals. —Shanley Pierce, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2020

Patients with chronic pain can show a significant loss of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, the attention and decision-making region of the brain that sits behind our foreheads, as well as in the thalamus, which relays sensory signals; both areas are important in processing pain. —New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022

The study team found that long-term memories took root in an area of the brain that hasn’t typically beenassociated with memory processing — the anterior thalamus. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 8 Apr. 2023

Three years ago, Michelle Monje, a pediatric neuro-oncologist at Stanford University, and her colleagues began a trial testing a CAR-T therapy for diffuse midline glioma, a brain cancer that primarily affects pediatric and young adult patients and occurs in places like the brain stem and thalamus. —Angus Chen, STAT, 6 Apr. 2023

These were stuck into four sections of their brains: three regions of the cortex and the thalamus. —Max G. Levy, Wired, 11 May 2021

Several studies show that creative types tend to have low levels of a certain kind of dopamine receptor in the thalamus, a brain area that helps regulate motor function and sensory perception. —Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 5 July 2016

The brain processes sound in the auditory striatum, where signals from the auditory cortex and auditory thalamus converge with dopamine. —Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023

The Human Olfactory System Humans’ other sensory systems send their signals to the thalamus, which relays them to other parts of the brain. —IEEE Spectrum, 17 Oct. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek thalamos chamber

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈthal-ə-məs 

plural thalami -ˌmī 

-ˌmē

: a subdivision of the forebrain that receives nerve impulses and sends them on to the appropriate parts of the brain cortex

Medical Definition

thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈthal-ə-məs 

plural thalami -ˌmī  -ˌmē 

: the largest subdivision of the diencephalon that consists chiefly of an ovoid mass of nuclei in each lateral wall of the third ventricle and serves to relay impulses and especially sensory impulses to and from the cerebral cortex