Talk:Core-matrix theory of thalamus

Is this only a neuroscience topic?

Given that core-matrix classifications exist I geology, I had thought the thalamus & basal ganglia core-matrix models were borrowed from that field. Does anyone know otherwise? LetThereBeNick (talk) 22:03, 25 September 2024 (UTC)

@LetThereBeNick I am not an expert on neuroscience. And I don't know anything about core-matrix classifications in geology. But I've been reading a 2024 review paper about the matrix-core subdivision of thalamic neurons recently.

In neuroscience, people talk about "matrix" as being for example all of the stuff which exists between cells, namely the extracellular matrix. Then inside this "matrix" or "network" of stuff, which is a hydrogel, there are neurons, axons and dendrites. So in that context, the matrix is everything except neurons, whereas in the thalamus context, the matrix is a subset of the neurons. Clearly this is contradictory usage.

In the thalamus context, the matrix neurons are a kind of general neurons which don't do so much information-wise. But the "core" neurons carry real sensory information to the cerebral cortex. They are more focused in location. So they bring more specific, detailed sensory data.

Does this all sound similar to the geology vocabulary? Where are the geology terms defined?

Alan U. Kennington (talk) 01:44, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

@LetThereBeNick The title of this article is very poorly chosen. It should be called "Core-matrix theory of thalamus neurons", or something like that. Alan U. Kennington (talk) 03:11, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

@LetThereBeNick To answer your question directly, I think the answer is "No". The word matrix in geology means much the same as in neurophysiology. But the word "core" has a totally unrelated meaning. So the term "matrix-core" seems to have no relation at all to geology.

Moved page to new title

In the interests of removing the ambiguity of the article title "Matrix-core", I have renamed it to "Matrix-core theory of thalamus". Along the way, I initially chose a not-so-good new title "Core and matrix neurons in thalamus", and then changed my mind. So the result has been two moves of the page.

I've tried to clear up the detritus by linking the old name "Matrix-core" to the double-changed name "Matrix-core theory of thalamus". Hopefully this will all be fine in the end. Almost no one looks at this article, but in my opinion, the topic is actually very important. It's crucial for theories of consciousness. Alan U. Kennington (talk) 04:32, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Now I have renamed pages with "matrix-core" to "core-matrix" because that's the "canonical order" which I have seen in the literature, and it is also the more logical order when thinking about the concept. Alan U. Kennington (talk) 04:41, 29 September 2024 (UTC)