Introducing the brain: thalamic controls of functions (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 16:10 (45 days ago) @ David Turell

It follows the heart and lung functions:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240312133747.htm

"The human brain constantly receives information from the body, specifically from internal organs such as the heart and lungs. This information seldom reaches consciousness but is crucial for maintaining a healthy body and for influencing performance in the brain, including perception, emotion, and cognition. Now, researchers are investigating how exactly the brain processes the incoming stream of information from the heart and lungs.

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"'Each heartbeat and every breath create a rich, incoming stream of sensory information for the human brain," said Krishna. "However, a deeper understanding of how the brain integrates this information has remained elusive. We have been interested in discovering how the human brain achieves the integration of cardio-respiratory information and whether its breakdown is linked to any disorders of the brain, heart, or lungs observed in the clinic."

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"They found that about 70% of the recorded neurons were modulated by either the heartbeat, the cardiac inter-beat interval, or the respiration.

"These cardiac and respiratory response patterns varied largely across neurons both in terms of timing and their kind of modulation, the authors wrote. A substantial proportion of these visceral neurons -- about 30% -- were responsive to more than one of the tested signals, underlining specialization and integration of cardiac and respiratory signals in subthalamic nucleus and thalamic neurons.

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"Applauding this research as a significant step forward, Nelson Oyesiku, MD, PhD, chair of the UNC Department of Neurosurgery, said, "We understand that the brain maintains homeostasis throughout the body through direct neurological and endocrine regulation. This research reveals that the incoming information from the heart and lungs is processed in the thalamic and subthalamic brain regions, besides other regions, enabling our brain to effectively assume its role in regulating bodily functions.'"

Comment: the thalamus and hypothalamus constantly receive information from the entire body to analyze and control automatic functions. This is conducted by feedback loops to mintain tight control in designated limits.