The thalamus, middleman of the brain, becomes a sensory conductor

Two new studies show that the thalamus — the small central brain structure often characterized as a mere pit-stop for sensory information on its way to the cortex — is heavily involved in sensory processing, and is an important conductor of the brain’s complex orchestra. Published in Nature Neuroscience and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the two studies demonstrate the important role of the thalamus in shaping what humans see, hear and feel.