Dr. Fred Clary's Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique

Thalamic Integration and Filtering: The thalamus does not passively relay information from the sensory system to the cortex. Rather, via feedback from the cortex and the brain stem, the thalamus controls the type and amount of information that reaches the cortex. Recent scientific findings prove the thalamus plays a role in how the cortex functions. Cortico-cortical communication depends heavily on how messages are integrated, filtered and modified through the thalamus.

The complex cell and circuit properties of the thalamus leave little doubt that the relay of sensory information to the cortex is an active, adjustable and modifiable process. Thus, the full impact of the thalamus recent research has shown is much more than simply controlling flow of information from the periphery and from other parts of the brain to the cortex: it is the most active partner in all cortical computations.

Integration in the thalamus is the sum of different driver inputs (highly prioritized afferents) to produce an output that differs qualitatively from that of any of the inputs. Filtering in the thalamus is the summing of different driver inputs (highly prioritized afferents) to produce an output that differs quantitatively from that of any of the inputs. So if the thalamus is intact, symptoms and dysfunction are the sum (integration and filtering) of different inputs into the thalamus. Symptoms, dysfunction and dis-ease are dependent on thalamic firing. Thus if the chiropractor can change input into the intact thalamus to move the CNS to produce a healthier functional status, the output will be health. The “nerve interference” is on the afferent side.

# posted by Fred Clary, Chiropractor @ 4:09 PM