Mind from brain

1. MIND FROM BRAIN
Select MIND TOPICS from MENU on LEFT
Reduce Display ZOOM accordingly 05/08 - 11/20/08
“MIND” IS AN EMERGENT ABSTRACTION OF “SELF”
OUT OF CORTICAL NEURONAL CIRCUIT ACTIVITY
UTILIZING:
- Sensory Inputs, Memory Storage & Recall
- Thalamic Gating of inputs to- Cortical Regions:
for Sensory Memory,
for Emotion (Cingulate)
for Basal Ganglial-Motor Control
for Cognition (Prefrontal)
Open Copyright 2009 D.E. Hillman
Brought to you by

2. MIND VS BRAIN
BRAIN
MIND
B
O
D
Y
Hillman
The Brain and Body stand as physical elements
forming operational components sustaining
vertebrate life. Sensory-motor reflexes together
with programmed movements, from basal
ganglia, represent the bulk of brain operational
control over body movement.
In mammals advanced development of the
cerebral cortex and thalamus has generated an
emergent property of the functional brain
“THE MIND”. The emanation of the MIND
from sensory inputs defines: SELF with
MEMORY and EMOTIONS, produces
COGNITION forming frameworks of
understanding and MAKES DECISONS for
initiating motor actions expressing behavior and
speech content.
Brought to you by

3. MIND & BRAIN FUNCTIONSTwo principal roles of the Central Nervous System (CNS) are in: 1) operating motor control
systems and 2) generation of the MIND. Motor controls are: a) spinal cord and brainstem
reflex-control of voluntary muscles producing involuntary reflexes. Reflexes are direct
sensory inputs to the spinal cord and brainstem eliciting motor responses in skeletal muscles),
b) homeostatic motor control of involuntary muscles and gland secretions via sympathetic
and parasympathetic systems, and c) programmed automatic motor control via the basal
ganglia and cerebellum acting to produce basic and conditioned motor control of behaviors
and speech capability.
Besides the control of reflexes, the BRAIN produces an emergent energy state, “THE
MIND”, forming self-awareness and yields consciousness. The MIND manages sensory
inputs and memories and associates them with “event emotions”. Using memories and
emotions, the MIND forms frameworks of understanding expressing the intellect in
cognition. Using intellect, the MIND makes decisions for initiating volitional behavior and
speech content.
While patterned movements are programmed in the action generators, basal ganglia,
producing behaviors and speech capability, the MIND makes decisions for selecting and
initiating patterns of movement but has limited control over reflexes or the actual movement
patterns themselves. Nevertheless, the MIND trains programs, consciously by trial and error
testing in order to enhance automatic movement patterns represented by our movement
finesse and behavior expressions. Brought to you by

4. COMPONENTS OF MIND• CONSCIOUSNESS
– Awareness of:
• Sensory input
• Motor responses
• MEMORY
– Memory Storage
– Memory Recall
– Memory Association (Thought)
– Memory Retention and Forgetting
• MIND & VALUES DEFINED IN EMOTION
– Survival: Nutrition, Procreation
– Self-Esteem - Recognition of Self as based on Pleasure/Displeasure Principles
– Reinforcement of values by Culture and “For the Greater Good” of the Species
• INITIATION OF BEHAVIOR AND SPEECH
– Decision Making for initiating patterns of movement
– Decision-Making for speech content
• COGNITION
– Structural/Functional Framework of Understanding
– Determining Consequence of Actions
– Perceived Spatial - Temporal Order of Events & Related Structure
• PREDICTION (INTUITION)
– Imagination
– Vision
• PERSONALITY and SPEECH (Mind Initiated (volitional) Motor Actions)
» D E Hillman 5/1/ 2008
Brought to you by

5. CNS COMPONENTS
The Central Nervous System (CNS)
consists of the spinal cord, brainstem,
cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus and
cerebral cortex. The cord and brainstem
represent sensory nerve input regions
except for olfaction. The cord and
brainstem operate reflexes of spinal and
cranial nerves. Basal ganglia (BG) are
origins of patterned movements that are
passed through the thalamus to the cerebral
cortex. The thalamus is a timing gate for
synchronizing sensory inputs, motor
control and cognition to the cerebral cortex.
The Cerebral Cortex is the primary source
of MIND generating consciousness. Brought to you by

6. FLOW IN THE FUNCTIONAL MIND
The flow of function in the conscious
MIND is from sensory inputs or
memory storage to emotion centers.
Values are placed on incoming sensory
inputs and memories by MIND.
Emotions are associated with inputs and
stored memories and are held in the
cingulate gyrus for recall. MIND’s
major utilizations of memory is in
forming frameworks of understanding
(cognition) leading to intellect and in
making decisions for motor actions of
behaviors and speech content.
Brought to you by

7. THE BASES OF MIND
• “MIND” has no comparable descriptive terms. The source of the conscious MIND is from
synchronous functioning cortical pyramidal cells integrating sensory input, emotion, motor
control and cognition from thalamic relay sources. The collective activity of pyramidal
circuits yields a “conscious abstraction of self-awareness and intellect” that is expressed to
the world through behaviors and speech. This synchrony is controlled by the thalamus
allowing the intelligent MIND to integrate signals between 5 functional domains: 1) inputs to
sensory cortices; 2) memory storage and recall; 3) emotion generation; 4) motor decision-
making; and 5) cognition, forming a frame-work of understanding.
• An understanding of the conscious MIND must include: 1) spinal cord and brainstem
sensory-motor reflex organization, 2) thalamic gating of cortical sensory & motor inputs
allowing sleep, 3) thalamic-cortical synchronization of sensory-motor data packets producing
the awake conscious MIND, 4), emotion generation by amygdala, hippocampus and limbic
cortical circuits, 5) basal ganglial patterned-reflexes that are initiated by intelligent decision-
making of the conscious MIND and, 6) cognition, forming frameworks of understanding that
emerge from the frontal lobe.
Brought to you by

8. UNDERSTANDING THE MIND• The MIND emerges from phased-simultaneity of pyramidal cell inputs across four
processing regions of the cerebral cortex that receive inputs by gating of inputs to
the thalamus. The linking of temporal activity between the thalamus and cortex
synchronizes activity states of cortical neurons across four cortical regions (primary
sensory, emotion, cognition and motor) producing an energy state emanating as the
MIND. The result is consciousness with the ability to reason and initiate willful
behaviors and specify speech content. The essence of the conscious MIND appears
as a melding of sensory inputs and memories into a temporal state with emotions
and then through recall directs their passage to cognition centers for understanding
and motor decision making.
• Two temporal indicators of the relationship linking the conscious-MIND and the
cognitive-MIND are found in brain-wave signals. The first is the EEG signal that
begins each cycle of the frequency from 1 to 40 Hz. The second signal is a longer
signal that of high amplitude that appears with a latency from 300 to 600
milliseconds. The latter lasts for a second or more and appears to be the energy
state of cognition and decision-making.
Brought to you by

9. MIND & MEMORY
• Only conscious and dreaming MINDs contribute to memory storage. The MIND is
responsible for assembling memories from: 1) inputs to visual, auditory, olfactory, taste and
body contact, 2) sensory responses and consequences arising from motor behavior or speech,
and 3) emotions associated with sensory and motor events. Memories are distributed in
modality cortices, hippocampus, medial temporal lobe, and cingulate, frontal and parietal
cortices.
• Sensory MEMORY is distributed, broadly, across regions of the cerebral cortex. Sensory
inputs to primary cortices are processed for similarities and differences. Details are
processed in associational sensory cortices that surround primary sensory targets. Also
primary and associational cortices provide parallel access to memory stores for comparisons
with sensory inputs and processing for emotion and cognition.
• The MIND can not operate without a functional brain but the brain & body operate without
the MIND. As soon as cerebral cortical or thalamic function is lost, the MIND looses
consciousness. In addition, the MIND is separable from the BRAIN by the fact that
consciousness is turned off during anesthesia, a contusion to the head or states of sleep, yet,
the brain keeps on serving homeostatic body functions. Even when MIND-initiating motor-
actions are quiescent, testing shows that basic reflex actions still remain. MIND without
inputs from sensory systems or memory recall has difficulty to sustain consciousness and
lacks ability to make decisions. Memory is the grist for planning and imagination by the
MIND.
Brought to you by

10. FORMATION OF MEMORY
• MEMORY has two states: the first is unconsolidated memory and the second is
consolidated into circuitry. The first state is short term held by the physiological
property called LTP (long term potentiation). This short term memory is neuron
functional state that activates signaling genes, e.g. c-fos. These early genes trigger
phenotypic genes related to protein production during the second state.
• The second state occurs during sleep as the memory-consolidating phase that
produces long-term memory. New proteins forming synapses are produced and
inserted into synapses. These changes incorporate new sensory information or
modifications to motor actions into the circuit. This upgrading of synaptic sites can
only occur if LTP modifications are turned-off by sleep. Thalamic relay nuclei cease
to activate pyramidal cells due to the slowing of the EEG to 0.5 to 4 Hz during
sleep. This blocks all sensory inputs, memories and motor instructions by activity
in reticular thalamic nuclei and inhibition of pyramidal cell somata preventing
intracortical responses.
Brought to you by

11. MIND & EMOTION
EMOTIONS are associated with specific visual images, (faces and
locations), sounds and sensory-motor inputs by comparison with
hippocampal templates for each sensory modality. The primary visual cortex
has a major subcortical projection via the lingula to the parahippocampal
gyrus and into the hippocampal perforant path. Images from the visual
cortex are processed in the hippocampus for familiarity (friend or foe) and
are then directed to the amygdala for determining fright or flightthrough
autonomic expressions of eithere the sympathetic or parasympathetic
systems.
Conscious emotions are determined in the hippocampus and these project
via the fornix to the hypothalamic mammary bodies. From here emotions
are relayed via the anterior group nuclei of the thalamus to emotion storage
in the cingulate cortex. The conscious MIND associates incoming sensory
memories and motor events as comparisons to previous emotional responses
of stored memories. Memories associated with high-emotion are most
lasting and are easiest to recall.
Brought to you by

12. MIND AND COGNITIONCOGNITION is the ability of the MIND to formulate “frameworks of understanding” from
multiple sensory modalities, memory stores and integrative sensory centers like Wernicke’s
areas. The MIND recalls memories of past experiences according to their emotions, related
values, consequences of actions and passes them through the medial dorsal nucleus of
thalamus to the pre-frontal cortex. Here, COGNITION assembles temporal and spatial
order, and establishes meaning of yet, unrealized sensory inputs, memories, motor actions
and their consequence into frameworks of understanding. The pyramidal circuitry of the
frontal lobe generates COGNITION as a MIND state of understanding that represents the
INTELLECT.
Perceptions that are generated by COGNITION give the MIND the ability to extend
understanding into PREDICTION. Fundamental to the cognitive process is the ability to
IMAGINE that leads to development of VISION. The COGNITIVE capability of
imagination and vision represent the creative breadth of the individuals INTELLECT.
• The vast potential of Mind's ability to “imagine” meets limitations of the brain’s ability to
control body actions beyond muscles, glands and hormones. Through creativity and
ingenuity, the intellectual MIND engineers mechanical, chemical, electronic and nuclear
devices that aid and by-pass “BRAIN-BODY” limitations. This ingenuity allows our
limited motor capacity to capture and control vast energy sources to meet Mind's goals of
far reaching imagination.
Brought to you by

13. MIND AND BEHAVIOR
The MIND’S power to reason, formulate cognition, and make
decisions initiating motor actions are the bases of expressing
behaviors and speech. However, much of behavior occurs from
involuntary reflexes, conditioned reflexes and predefined patterned
movements. Virtually, all behaviors are either hard-wired in reflex
circuits or are programmed in basal ganglia during development. For
the most part, the conscious MIND is the decision-maker for initiation
of movement for willful simple motions or selection of patterned-
motor responses from a repertoire of expressions defining behavior.
The MIND uses consequence and pleasure principles to determine
behavior selections. Once these reflexes are initiated, the behaviors
play-out according to the program, so much so, they can be difficult to
interrupt. Examples are laughing, crying, patterns of movement and
emotional expression. The MIND can modulate the extent of some
reflexes but not entirely prevent them.
Brought to you by

14. Behavior continued
Homeostatic reflexes control much of our basic survival
behaviors that include respiratory, cardiac, GI and urinary
function as well as fight or flight actions. The amygdala and
hypothalamus, being the centers of reflexive control of emotions,
are the primary areas of reflex based motivations. The
hypothalamus distributes involuntary actions through the two
opposed autonomic systems, sympathetic and parasympathetic.
Willful behaviors are based on the need to fulfill food, sexual and
self esteem desires. Motivations, generated by the conscious
MIND arise from the limbic system while emotion related
involuntary behaviors are expressed through basal ganglia and
motor cortices. Willful motivations generated from the MIND
originate from the emotion-cortex, the cingulate gyrus. These
arrive from the hypothalamic mammillary bodies as projections to
anterior group thalamic nuclei and then to the cingulate gyri.
Brought to you by

15. MIND & MOTIVATION• Willful behaviors are based on the need to fulfill food, sexual and self
esteem desires. Motivations, generated by the conscious MIND arise from
the limbic pleasure centers while emotion related voluntary behaviors are
expressed through basal ganglia and motor cortices. The hypothalamic
mammillary bodies send projections to anterior group nuclei and then to the
cingulate gyri. Willful motivations of the MIND come from emotions
associated with action memories stored in the cingulate gyrus. Self-esteem
reinforcement is the principle motivating factor for humanoids and is driven
by a pleasure obtained intrinsic to the MIND. The MIND obtains this
pleasure basically from itself through its own satisfactory decisions for
actions. Yet the bulk of the reinforcement for motivation is received from
others as acknowledgement, some being approval others disapproval.
Fundamentally, the MIND is looking to the mother and peers for a
recognition of their own existence. These sources expand rapidly at young
ages so that careful balances must be considered for amount and kind.
Teaching the individual to give proper recognition to others and develop
healthy exchanges is the fundamental base for motovating positive
behaviors.
Brought to you by

16. BRAIN - BODY - MIND
Brought to you by

17. MIND & DECISION-MAKING
• The central role of MIND is intelligent decision-making for initiating actions
carried out by patterned movements for behaviors including the generation of
speech content. (Sensory driven reflexes have only limited control by the MIND).
The willful intent of MIND initiates self-serving motor control for survival and
reproduction. MIND initiated voluntary actions operate through programmed basal
ganglial control in passage through the ventral lateral (VL) and ventral anterior
(VA) thalamic nuclear relay gate to reach pre-motor and motor related cortices.
• When the MIND is not operating such as during sleep or unconsciousness, all
voluntary muscle controlled reflexes are quiescent. Nevertheless, homeostatic
reflexes (involuntary) operate without the MIND. When cortical neurons become
synchronously active, sensory awareness returns and the MIND initiates
programmed complex sensory-motor reflexes. Most basic are eye movements and
antigravity expression. Virtually, every action generated by basal ganglia (except
ballistic) is due to circuits wired for modulation in real-time by incoming sensory
signals to the cerebellum. Patterned movements form a repertoire of behaviors that
must be selected, initiated or stopped by MIND decisions. Conditioning of the
programmed behavior can modify MIND initiated voluntary actions that are
programmed in basal ganglia.
Brought to you by

18. MIND vs REFLEXES and PROGRAMMED BEHAVIORS
• The nervous system operates in three fundamental domains: 1)
reflex control organ, 2) control of programmed patterned movement
and 3) generation of the conscious self, “The MIND”. The caudal
part of the nervous system is, principally, sensory-motor
organization that we commonly revere as reflexes. The peripheral
nervous system, (spinal and cranial nerves) together with the spinal
cord and brainstem consists of hardwired circuits driving motor
operations that are activated by sensory inputs. Reflexes control
movements, involuntarily, through voluntary controllable muscles
(musculoskeletal system).
• The rostral brain including the thalamus, basal ganglia and cortices
contain centers for programmed motor control of patterned
movements that are stored in basal ganglia. Many of these
movement patterns are hardwired before birth and others are
conditioned by experience. The cerebellum lies over the brainstem
and receives sensory cranial and spinal nerve inputs as well as
inputs from all cerebral cortices through the pons within the
brainstem. The cerebellum provides detailed fineness for
programmed movements using sensory inputs and cortical control.
• The neocortex, together with the thalamus is the source of the
MIND. Sensory inputs to cortices bring the MIND to consciousness
and forms memories. The active MIND selects programmed
movements and initiates: objective movements, behaviors and
speech content. The MIND also incorporates emotion into
memories as well as formulates frameworks of understanding that
represent the intellect. The MIND has limited capacity to control
programmed movement because of complexity. The MIND selects
and initiates movements.
Brought to you by

19. MIND & MOTOR CONTROL
• The brain operates motor control, reflexively, through spinal nerves of the
spinal cord and cranial nerves of the brainstem and as movement patterns
that are programmed in basal ganglia. The MIND's major role is to make
conscious decisions for initiating behavior, speech-content and specific
movements. In addition, the MIND can consciously modulate or subdue
some reflex activity but can not totally stop reflexes.
• Furthermore, the MIND is involved in training basal ganglial patterned-
movements by conscious trials and observing their consequence. We
observe and instruct our voluntary movement initiation across single joints
or group actions in a conscious manner. This method is used to improve
precision or increase speed and effectiveness. There are two types of
MIND-initiated patterned- movements: One is modifiable patterned
movement and the other is ballistic movements; both are programmed in
the basal ganglia.
Brought to you by

20. PROGRAMMED MOVEMENT• Modifiable patterned movements from basal ganglia are slower than
ballistic movements and allow updating of sensory status to the cerebellar
cortex and to the basal ganglial pattern generator during movement. These
patterned movements are from a repertoire that can be initiated and stopped
by the MIND or changes being made by MIND-decision during their
execution. These patterns play-out from basal ganglia and are being
optimized, continually, for agonist/antagonist muscle tone by the cerebellum
in order to enhance fine control of movements.
• In normal behaviors, the MIND does not control detail of movement but
only the selection and the initiation of movement patterns. These behaviors
are programmed using pre-wired reflexes, conditioned reflexes but can be
modified by learning during development and young adults and are not
changed much after adulthood is reached.
Brought to you by

21. Basal Ganglia Patterned Movement
& Cerebellar Control (Indirect pathway)
The cerebellar cortex with pontine inputs from cerebral
cortex and from sensory inputs to the cerebellar granule cell
system provide ongoing agonist/antagonist tone control
through projections of inhibitory PC’s to cerebellar nuclei
producing excitatory inputs to VA & VL relay nuclear cells
to balance globus pallidus inhibition of the indirect
pathway. The effect is B.G. generated patterned-movement
with cerebellar control.
Cortical inputs to the indirect pathway come
from the premotor cortex. These excitatory
afferents synapse on inhibitory striatal neurons
of the matrix containing enkephalin modulatory
receptors. The matrix neurons project inhibition
on neurons of the external segment of globus
pallidus which has it’s main output to the
subthalamic nucleus and is also inhibitory. The
excitatory response of the subthalamic N. is
excitatory onto the internal segment of GP. The
internal segment of GP is inhibitory to the motor
thalamus (VA & VL). These inhibitory inputs
to VA & VL (relay nuclei) are modulated by
cerebellar nuclear excitatory outputs and the
integrated responses are temporally released to
the premotor cortex by thalamic gating.
ASSOCIATION CORTEX
Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital & Limbic
Striatum
Matrix
Enkephalin
PONS
Premotor - Sensori-Motor Cortex
Globus Pallidus
external Internal
Cerebellar
Granule cell
to PCs
Thalamus
Cbl Nuc
Lat.CorticospinalTr.
Sup.CerebellarPeduncle
Middle Cerebellar Peduncle
CerebralPeduncles
Subthalamic Nucleus
S. Nigra
Compacta
Sp.Cord
VA
VL
INDIRECT BASAL GANGLIAL PATHWAY = MODIFYABLE PATTERNED MOVEMENTS
MOSSY FIBERS
Brought to you by

22. BALLISTIC MOVEMENTS
Ballistic movements are programmed in the basal ganglia to provide high
speed and up to maximal strength. Ballistic movements are mostly selected
for execution by the MIND.
These movements can not be modified by the pattern generator or cerebellar
control after initiation by the MIND (e.g. golf swing). Also, ballistic
movements have associated non-ballistic movements that form a skeletal
platform adjusting for the ballistic outcome. Examples are batting a baseball
from a high speed pitch. The swing is ballistic but the knees raise or lower
to adjust the height of the swing-platform in order to meet the ball.
Programming is done by trial and error using sensory feedback, consequence
of action and suggestions from extrinsic observers(coach) to encourage
changes in specific types of actions. Cerebellar control during ballism is
limited but must participate in releasing tone of antagonistic muscles that are
actively tonic at the beginning the movement. This important function is
described in the relationship between basal ganglial and cerebellar control.
Brought to you by

23. Ballistic Movement Generation (Direct pathway).
Cortical inputs to basal ganglia come from the premotor cortex. These afferents synapse on inhibitory striatal
neurons in substance “P” patches of the striatum. Dopamine of substantia nigra compacta upregulates these
inhibitory neurons increasing striatal inhibitory output to the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) &
substantia nigra reticulata (SNr). The output is inhibition to the motor thalamus (VA & VL) and excitation of
these neurons by cerebellar nuclei. The integrative result is ballistic motor output to agonist muscles through
premotor & motor cortices.
The cerebellar granule cell activation of PC’s is too slow
for ballistic movement so that these actions are interceded
by antagonist related high speed climbing fiber input that
activates PCs to inhibit cerebellar nuclei that release
antagonist muscle tone.
The effect is that dys-inhibition of GPi by striatal
output results in patterned movements without
control from sensory input modulation or from the
cerebellar cortex. Thus, ballistic movement
patterns are unchecked by the subthalamus (See
indirect pathway). The movement pattern is preset
for ballistic movements by motor cortex driving
agonist motor neurons of the cord or brainstem
and antagonist muscle relaxation from cerebellar
tone production that is controlled by cerebellar
nuclear outflow. The inhibitory output of the
globus pallidus meets cerebellar nuclear excitation
in VA & VL and these are gated to the premotor
and motor cortex. The cerebellar nuclei for
antagonist tone are controlled by climbing fiber
activation of Purkinje cells.
Striatum
Patches
Subt "P"
INFERIOR
OLIVE
Premotor - Sensori-Motor Cortex
Globus Pallidus
Internal
Substantia Nigra
Reticulata
Cerebellar
Purkinje Cells
Thalamus
Cbl Nuc
Lat.CorticospinalTr.
Sup.CerebellarPeduncle
CerebralPeduncles
Subs Nigra Compacta
VA
VL
Sp.Cord
DIRECT BASAL GANGLIAL PATHWAY BALLISTIC PATTERNED MOVEMENT
CLIMBING FIBERS
FORAGONISTMUSCLES
FORANTAGONISTICMUSCLES
Brought to you by

24. SOURCE OF THE MIND
The emergence of the conscious MIND out-of functional circuitry is based on
input gating to four neocortical regions from the THALAMUS. Pyramidal
cells and cortical circuitry are synchronously-phased across regions of the
neocortex by four inter-linked thalamic-relay timing gates. EEGs are remote-
recorded potentials from the cranial-surface showing a spindle marker
potential appearing every second to 26- 28 milliseconds (at 40 Hz). The
marker signals partition EEGs that are followed by high frequency signals (see
Gerber et al. 2008). During cognition, the rate is 40 Hz while during sleep,
the reticular thalamic nuclei slow thalamic outputs to 0.5-4 Hz. MEG’s
indicate that the 40 Hz signal is also present during sleep (Llinas & Ribary
1993) and suggest that eye movements are being replayed for visual memory
consolidation during REM sleep. EEG’s, MEG’s ERP’s and local depth
electrodes reveal a second larger amplitude signal, “event-related-potentials”.
These extend across the neocortex and reoccur after stimuli at latencies of
300-600 milliseconds. These appear to be the true signals of cognition and
decision-making.
Brought to you by

25. INPUTS FORMING MINDThe thalamus acts as the gate-keeper of outputs
from thalamic relay nuclei to respective cortical
regions. Sensory inputs from spinal and cranial
nerves project to sensory thalamic relay nuclei
(VP) and are gated by laterally placed reticular
thalamic nuclei (RN). The RN act as the
clocking timer for all cerebral inputs.
Motor actions are initiated by MIND decision
from pre-motor cortex onto the basal ganglia
(BG) and cerebellum and then to the VA-VL of
thalamus for interpolation with cerebellar
control. Motor gating by synchronization of the
VA-VL connections to motor cortices signal
spinal and cranial motor neurons.
The anterior group (AG) incorporates emotion
into memories while the medial dorsal (MD)
thalamus carries sensory attention, memories,
emotion and motor responses into frontal and
parietal lobes for formulation of understanding
by the COGNITIVE MIND.
Brought to you by

26. THALAMUS: GATEWAY TO
CORTEXThe THALAMUS has four distinct relay
functional regions that project to respective
cerebral cortical regions. The caudal thalamus
projects sensory inputs, arising from various
types of receptors, i.e. vision, audition, touch,
pain etc.. The motor thalami (ventral lateral
and anterior lateral nuclei) are relay gating-
nuclei for signaling motor behaviors and
speech that are generated from basal ganglia
and the cerebellum. Sensory inputs pass from
primary sensory cortices through the
hippocampus determining “friend or foe” and
applies “fight or flight” reflexes through the
hypothalamus. Also, the hippocampus
projects signals to the anterior-group relay
nuclei incorporating and storing emotion-
linked memories in emotion-cortex. A fourth
thalamic nuclear region is the medial thalamus
that carries inputs for cognition. This relay
nucleus projects to prefrontal cortex producing
frameworks of understanding that give rise to
intellect. The MIND emanates as
consciousness and intellect arising from
phased-synchronous activity across the four
target regions of the neocortex.
Brought to you by

27. THALAMIC-GATING
The thalamus temporally blocks relay nuclei passage of sensory,
motor, emotion and cognitive signals to the cerebral cortex during
sleep (EEG frequencies below 5 Hz). Blocking of cortical inputs
during sleep stops sensory and motor activity in order to prevent
interruption of memory updating. In addition, extensor motor
expression (standing) is blocked to prevent walking and injury during
sleep.
On awakening, the reticular thalamic nuclei increase the gating rate
from 5-13 Hz. The thalamic relay nuclei of input gates “spike-train
snippets”, briefly to respective cortices within each EEG cycle. At 40
Hz (cognitive), “event related potentials” (ERP’s, Miller et.al 2008 &
MEG’s, Llinas & Ribary 1993) show a phased-synchrony of EEG’s
and MEG’s over the cranium. This phasing appears to be due to the
cascade of heirarchy from sensory input, emotion, cognition to motor
decision making for selection and initiation of movement.Brought to you by

28. SOURCE OF GATING
The reticular thalamic nucleus cups the lateral surface of the thalamus and sends projections,
radially, into each of the thalamic relay nuclei. The close association and coupling of the
reticular neurons are ideally positioned for synchronized release of relay nuclei firing to the
cortex. Functional activity of reticular neurons synchronize the inhibitory gate on relay neurons
slowing bursts to as little as one per second during sleep but to 15 to 40 Hz in the awake to
cognitive individual. An other group of neurons, intralaminar thalamic nuclei, are distributed
along the rostral-caudal circumference of the thalamus that is marked by an internal medullary
lamina. Different laminar groups appear to projection to specific regions of the cerebral cortex.
These afferents target the most distal, dendritic terminals of pyramidal cell dendrites in layer I.
We propose that this intralaminar input is excitatory to pyramidal cells resulting in total
depolarization of the the entire dendritic arbor by activating voltage sensitive calcium channels.
The result is a short barrage of dendritic spikes (similar to climbing fiber-Purkinje cell responses)
and that these correspond to spindles of the EEG and marks the beginning of the relay input.
Following the total dendritic depolarization there is a coordinated re-polarization of pyramidal
cells creating synchrony of equal resting potential levels throughout specific cortical region.
Thus, all of the pyramidal cells begin to receive the relay barrage at the same time and thus
produce a meaningful activity status in pyramidal cells to maximize the fidelity of pyramidal cell
reception during subsequent thalamic relay inputs for 20 msec or so duration.
Brought to you by

29. GATING BY THALAMIC RELAY NUCLEI
All cortical inputs to the neocortex are
gated within the temporal frame that
represents cortical input passage
through thalamic relay nuclei. The gate
is controlled by the reticular thalamic
nucleus (RT) as interval blocking and
release of outputs of the relay nuclei to
the neocortex. Intralaminar nuclei
(black-blue) target pyramidal cells, we
believe, sync these cortical neurons for
receiving relay input. Relay nuclei for
vision and audition are in the geniculate
bodies while environmental and self
sensations are relayed through the
ventral posterior thalamus (VPL for
body and VPM for head). Programmed
motor control of basal ganglia are
relayed by the ventral lateral (VL) and
anterior (VA) nuclei. Emotions are
relayed through the anterior group of
nuclei while cognition is passed through
the medial dorsal thalamic nuclei.
DEH
RETICULAR
THALAMIC
NUCLEUS
MD
VPLRT
CEREBRAL CORTEX
Anterior group
CM
AG
MEDIAL
DORSAL
(MD)
(VA)
(VL)
(VPM)
(VPL)
PULVINAR
LGB
RT
Ventral
Anterior
Ventral
Lateral
Ventral
Posterior Lateral
Ventral
Posterior Medial
LATERAL
GENICULATE
BODY
CM
VPM
MEDIAL
INTRALAMINAR
THALAMUS
NUCLEi
AFFERENT CORTICAL GATING BY THALAMUS
RT
RT
SENSORY
THALAMUS
LGB
MGB
AG
RETICULAR
THALAMIC
NUCLEUS
RT
Motor
Sensory
Emotion
Cognition
DorsalView
Coronal View
/`
Motor
Brought to you by

30. THALAMIC GATE & MIND
The conscious MIND is an emergent state from operational cortical
circuitry representing four major components.
PRIMARY
SENSORY
MOTOR
ASSOCIATION
SENSORY
MOTOR
CORTICES
LIMBIC
HIPPOCAMPAL
MEMORY
MEDIAL DORSAL
THALAMIC NUCSENSORY RELAY
THALAMUS
Pyramidal
Cells
ANTERIOR GROUP
THALAMIC NUC
FRONTAL
WORKING
MEMORY
MIND
MOTOR
THALAMUS
CORTICES
RETICULAR THALAMIC NUCLEAR GATE
INTRALAMINAR THALAMIC NUCLEI-- PYRAMIDAL CELL SYNCHRONIZATIONS
SENSORY
INPUTS
BASAL GANG
CERBELLUM
INTEGRATED
UNDERSTANDING
HIPPOCAMPUS
HYPOTHALAMUS
EMOTIONCOGNITIONAWARENESS MOTOR DECISIONS
Pyramidal
Cells
The four types of inputs at the
bottom enter the relay
thalamic nuclei, but are held
by the reticular gate. The the
pyramidal cells of the four
cortical regions are receive
inputs to the entire dendritic
tree, In addition the most
apical dendrites in layer one
receive intralaminar inputs the
temporal relation of the
cascade in circuit processing
gives rise to the MIND
informational state.
Brought to you by

31. ROLES OF
MIND
This summary shows,
diagrammatically, how the
characteristic components of MIND
relate to functional expressions of
motor actions. Consciousness of
sensory inputs are processed into
memory. Memories are associated
with emotions that give values. A
major role of the MIND is to make
decisions of basal ganglial patterned
movements that determine willful
movements, behaviors and speech.
PERSONALITY and INTELLECT
emanate as products of MIND that
reveal the individuality of SELF and
cognitive capacity.
Brought to you by

32. OVERVIEW
The brain controls the
body, unconsciously,
through homeostatic
reflexes. Voluntary
movements for survival
and reproduction are
initiated by decision of
the MIND.
These decisions are for
programmed behaviors
determining actions and
personality.
The MIND is emergent from
neuronal activity of the cerebral
cortex signaling sensory
awareness, consciousness and
the power to reason. MIND’s
experiences establish VALUES
that become the basis of our
personality, dictate our actions,
and define the spirit of self.
This SPIRIT transcends the
active brain in the SOUL that is
held in the MINDS of others &
in antiquities.
BRAIN
MIND
B
O
D
Y
REASON
DECISIONS
consciousness
MEMORIES
SOUL
VALUES
Hillman
BRAIN & BODY MIND & SOUL
Brought to you by

33. SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES
• Basilis Zikopoulos1 and Helen Barbas Prefrontal Projections to the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus
form a Unique Circuit for Attentional Mechanisms. The Journal of Neuroscience, 26(28):7348 –
7361 2006
• Brian T. Miller , Leon Y. Deouell, Cathrine Dam, Robert T. Knight, Mark D'Esposito Spatio-⁎
temporal dynamics of neural mechanisms underlying component operations in working memory
Brain Research 1206: 61- 75 2008
• Gerber, P et. al., Interobserver agreement in interpretation of EEG patterns . . . . J. Clin NeuroPhys
25: 241-249 2008.
• http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Consciousness_studies
• Long, M.A. et al. Small clusters of electrically coupled neurons generate synchronous rhythms in
the thalamic reticular nucleus. J. Neurosci. 24, 341–349 (2004)
• Migno, E Why We Sleep: The Temporal Organization of Recovery. PLoS Biology 6:0661-669
(2008) www.plosbiology.org
• Pablo Fuentealba, Igor Timofeev, and Mircea Steriade Prolonged hyperpolarizing potentials
precede spindle oscillations in the thalamic reticular nucleus PNAS 101 9816-9821 2004
• Pablo Fuentealba, Mircea Steriade The reticular nucleus revisited: Intrinsic and network properties
• of a thalamic pacemaker. Progress in Neurobiology 75 (2005) 125–141
• Llinas,R, , Ribary, U (1993) Coherent 40-Hz oscillations characterizes dream state in humans. Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:2078-2081
• Steriade, M. et al. The deafferented reticular thalamic nucleus generates spindle rhythmicity. J.
Neurophysiol. 57, 260–27 (1987)
• Zhang, L and Jones, EG. Corticothalamic inhibition in the thalamic reticular nucleus. J Neurophysiol
91: 759–766, 2004.
Brought to you by

34. This platform has been started by Parveen
Kumar Chadha with the vision that nobody
should suffer the way he has suffered
because of lack and improper healthcare
facilities in India. We need lots of funds
manpower etc. to make this vision a reality
please contact us. Join us as a member for a
noble cause.
Brought to you by

35. Our views have increased the
mark of the 20,000
 Thank you viewers
 Looking forward for franchise,
collaboration, partners.
Brought to you by

36. -011 25464531,-011 41425180,-011
66217387+-91 9818308353,+-91
9818569476othermotherindia@gmail.com
www.other-mother.in
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Other-Mother-Nursing-Crusade/224235031114989?
ref=hl
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?
id=326103341&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
https://twitter.com/othermotherind
i
https://cparveen.wix.com/other-mother
A WORLDWIDE MISSITION
Contact
Us:-
JOIN US
Saxbee Consultants Details :-www.parveenchadha.com
Brought to you by