The ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) is one of the subdivisions of the ventral posterior nucleus in the

ventral nuclear group The ventral nuclear group is a collection of nuclei on the ventral side of the thalamus The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek language, Greek Wikt:θάλαμος, θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of th ...

of the

thalamus The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek language, Greek Wikt:θάλαμος, θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the wikt:dorsal, dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of ...

. It relays sensory information from the second-order neurons of the neospinothalamic tract and medial lemniscus (of the dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway) which synapse with the third-order neurons in the nucleus. These then project to the primary somatosensory cortex in the postcentral gyrus. There is uncertainty regarding the location of VMpo (posterior part of ventral medial nucleus), as determined by spinothalamic tract (STT) terminations and staining for calcium-binding proteins, and several authorities do not consider its existence as being proved. The term "ventral posterolateral nucleus" was introduced by Le Gros Clark in 1930.

Anatomy

Subdivisions

The oral part of the ventral posterolateral nucleus (nucleus ventrointermedius) in the human, (VPLO)BrainInfo NeuroName 345
/ref> is a subdivision of the VPL with projections to the

motor cortex The motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, motor control, control, and execution of voluntary movements. The motor cortex is an area of the frontal lobe located in the posterior precentral gyrus immediately ...

. There is also a caudal part of the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPLC).BrainInfo NeuroName 346
/ref>

Additional images

File:Territoriostalamo.svg, Thalamus File:Gray759.png, The sensory tract.

References

Thalamus {{Neuroanatomy-stub