David Bryant Mumford's 1991 paper "On the computational architecture of the neocortex I: The role of the thalamo-cortical loop" proposes that the neocortex operates with the active participation of a thalamic nucleus, which is reciprocally and topographically connected to each cortical area. Each cortical area is responsible for maintaining and updating the organism's knowledge of a specific aspect of the world, ranging from low-level raw data to high-level abstract representations. The thalamic nucleus acts as an "active blackboard," integrating multiple hypotheses generated by the cortex and sending them back for further processing. The paper suggests that the thalamus plays a crucial role in this process, with evidence supporting the theory and experimental tests proposed. The second part of the paper will discuss cortico-cortical loops and their computational roles. The paper reviews the anatomy and connections of the cortex and thalamus, highlighting the reciprocal connections between the two structures. The thalamus is described as a relay station for sensory signals, with some nuclei also receiving input from subcortical structures. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in attention, suggesting that it may gate data flow and serve as a focus of attention. The paper proposes that the thalamus is an active blackboard, integrating data from the cortex and subcortical structures. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in motor control, with the primary motor area (Brodmann's area 4) being reciprocally connected to the posterior ventral lateral nucleus (VLp) in the thalamus. The paper suggests that the thalamus plays a role in motor control, with the cerebellum analyzing motor commands and modifying them before they are sent to the motor area. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in attention, with the reticular complex (RE thalamus) potentially playing a role in maintaining attention. The paper proposes that the thalamus is an active blackboard, integrating data from the cortex and subcortical structures. The paper also discusses possible tests of the theory, including experiments on the LGN and thalamic cells. The paper concludes that the thalamus plays a crucial role in the computational architecture of the neocortex, with the thalamo-cortical loop being essential for integrating data and maintaining attention.David Bryant Mumford's 1991 paper "On the computational architecture of the neocortex I: The role of the thalamo-cortical loop" proposes that the neocortex operates with the active participation of a thalamic nucleus, which is reciprocally and topographically connected to each cortical area. Each cortical area is responsible for maintaining and updating the organism's knowledge of a specific aspect of the world, ranging from low-level raw data to high-level abstract representations. The thalamic nucleus acts as an "active blackboard," integrating multiple hypotheses generated by the cortex and sending them back for further processing. The paper suggests that the thalamus plays a crucial role in this process, with evidence supporting the theory and experimental tests proposed. The second part of the paper will discuss cortico-cortical loops and their computational roles. The paper reviews the anatomy and connections of the cortex and thalamus, highlighting the reciprocal connections between the two structures. The thalamus is described as a relay station for sensory signals, with some nuclei also receiving input from subcortical structures. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in attention, suggesting that it may gate data flow and serve as a focus of attention. The paper proposes that the thalamus is an active blackboard, integrating data from the cortex and subcortical structures. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in motor control, with the primary motor area (Brodmann's area 4) being reciprocally connected to the posterior ventral lateral nucleus (VLp) in the thalamus. The paper suggests that the thalamus plays a role in motor control, with the cerebellum analyzing motor commands and modifying them before they are sent to the motor area. The paper also discusses the role of the thalamus in attention, with the reticular complex (RE thalamus) potentially playing a role in maintaining attention. The paper proposes that the thalamus is an active blackboard, integrating data from the cortex and subcortical structures. The paper also discusses possible tests of the theory, including experiments on the LGN and thalamic cells. The paper concludes that the thalamus plays a crucial role in the computational architecture of the neocortex, with the thalamo-cortical loop being essential for integrating data and maintaining attention.