Disentangling the influences of multiple thalamic nuclei on prefrontal cortex and cognitive control

•Prefrontal cortex (PFC) has connections with many thalamic nuclei.•They collectively influence all aspects of PFC processing and cognitive control.•Thalamic nuclei perform distinct transformations to enable optimal decision-making.•Thalamocortical projections influence corticocortical communication.•PFC may use basal ganglia circuits to control functional connectivity.