thalamus

/ˈθæləməs/

Other forms: thalami

The thalamus is an egg-shaped mass of gray matter that's located in the middle of the brain. The thalamus is responsible for transmitting sensory signals between different parts of the brain.

The thalamus plays a crucial role in regulating consciousness, sleep, and alertness by directing sensory information to different parts of the brain. It receives input from sensory organs such as the eyes, ears, and skin and then relays that information to other regions of the brain for further processing. This important structure, which is located near the center of the brain, gets its name from the Greek word thalamos, which means "inner chamber."

Definitions of thalamus

1. noun

   large egg-shaped structures of grey matter that form the dorsal subdivision of the diencephalon
   type of:

   neural structure

   a structure that is part of the nervous system