Emotion: Region Level: Thalamus

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• Thalamus and Emotion:
• The old view: The Thalamus is not involved in the experience, but in the expression of emotions (Lashley, 1938).
• The Thalamus is at the origin of W.B. Cannon theory of emotion (Cannon 1927). The "...peculiar quality of the emotion is added to simple sensation when the thalamic processes are aroused". Sensory information enters the nervous system en course to the cortex where it will activate conditioned responses. Either because of cortical feed-back on the thalamus, or because of their centripetal course, this information reaches the thalamus. The thalamus then computes the specific emotional response and activates both subcortical and cortical centers to generate emotional expression.
• Part of the LeDoux circuit.
• Part of the Papez circuit.
• Thalamus: General
• Locate it on a MRI Slice.
• Dorsal Thalamus relays information to the cortex (Koniocortices). Modality (broadly tuned) specific thalamic nuclei also project to the amygdala.
• Auditory: Medial Geniculate Body, and some posterior thalamic areas.
• Visual: Ventral Lateral Geniculate Body, and some areas of the posterior thalamus.
• Somatosensory: terminal areas of the spinothalamic tract and medial lemniscus.

Editor: Jean-Marc Fellous

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