Neural Regions Involved in Sensory Gating
Information from sensory receptors make their way to the brain through neurons and synapse at the thalamus. The pulvinar nuclei in the thalamus function as the gatekeeper, deciding which information should be inhibited, and which should be sent to further cortical areas. Sensory gating is mediated by a network in the brain which involves the auditory cortex (AC), prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Other areas of the brain associated with sensory gating include the amygdala, striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, and midbrain dopamine cell region (GABAergic neurons only). Research of sensory gating primarily occurs in cortical areas where the stimulus is consciously identified because it is a less invasive means of studying sensory gating. Studies on rats show the brain stem, thalamus, and primary auditory cortex play a role in sensory gating for auditory stimuli.
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