ALT DOI: 10.1093/med/9780197676158.001.0001 The thalamus has often been treated as a minor, rather insignificant player in cortical functioning. In the not too distant past, the thalamus was considered a rather boring, machine-like relay of subcortical information to the cortex. Over the past decade, there has been a groundswell of new and renewed interest in the thalamus and thalamocortical interactions, leading to discoveries demonstrating the thalamus's ongoing and essential role in cortical functioning and, likewise, the significance of the cortex for thalamic functioning. The Cerebral Cortex and Thalamus is a groundbreaking volume bringing together a cohesive account of cortical and thalamic mechanisms for control of behavior with an emphasis on the importance of interactions between the two structures. The book elucidates the research that makes it increasingly clear that the cortex and thalamus are necessary partners for sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Interactions betwee