The pallidothalamic tracts (or pallidothalamic connections) are a part of the

basal ganglia The basal ganglia (BG), or basal nuclei, are a group of subcortical nuclei, of varied origin, in the brains of vertebrates. In humans, and some primates, there are some differences, mainly in the division of the globus pallidus into an extern ...

. They provide connectivity between the

internal globus pallidus The internal globus pallidus (GPi or medial globus pallidus; in rodents its homologue is known as the entopeduncular nucleus) and the external globus pallidus (GPe) make up the globus pallidus. The GPi is one of the output nuclei of the basal gan ...

(GPi) and the

thalamus The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter located in the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all direction ...

, primarily the

ventral anterior nucleus The ventral anterior nucleus (VA) is a nucleus of the thalamus. It acts with the anterior part of the ventral lateral nucleus to modify signals from the basal ganglia. Inputs and outputs The ventral anterior nucleus receives neuronal inputs from t ...

and the

ventral lateral nucleus The ventral lateral nucleus (VL) is a nucleus in the ventral nuclear group of the thalamus. Inputs and outputs It receives neuronal inputs from the basal ganglia which includes the substantia nigra and the globus pallidus (via the thalamic fas ...

Anatomy

They are composed of the

ansa lenticularis The ansa lenticularis (''ansa lentiformis'' in older texts) is a part of the brain, making up the superior layer of the substantia innominata. Its fibers, derived from the medullary lamina of the lentiform nucleus, pass medially to end in the thal ...

, the

lenticular fasciculus The lenticular fasciculus is a tract connecting the globus pallidus (internus) to the thalamus and is a part of the thalamic fasciculus. It is synonymous with field H2 of Forel. The thalamic fasciculus (composed of both the lenticular fasciculus a ...

( field H₂ of Forel), and the

thalamic fasciculus The thalamic fasciculus is a component of the subthalamus. It is synonymous with field H1 of Forel. Nerve fibres form a tract containing cerebellothalamic (crossed) and pallidothalamic (uncrossed) fibres, that is insinuated between the thalamus ...

( field H₁ of Forel). * The ansa lenticularis is composed of fibers that pass from the ventral aspect of the

globus pallidus The globus pallidus (GP), also known as paleostriatum or dorsal pallidum, is a subcortical structure of the brain. It consists of two adjacent segments, one external, known in rodents simply as the globus pallidus, and one internal, known in rode ...

and sweep around the posterior limb of the

internal capsule The internal capsule is a white matter structure situated in the inferomedial part of each cerebral hemisphere of the brain. It carries information past the basal ganglia, separating the caudate nucleus and the thalamus from the putamen and the g ...

. They connect with the fibers of the lenticular fasciculus in the field H of Forel to form the

. * The lenticular fascicles is composed of fibers that pass from the internal part of the

, ''through'' the posterior limb of the

, around the

zona incerta The zona incerta (ZI) is a horizontally elongated region of gray matter in the subthalamus below the thalamus. Its connections project extensively over the brain from the cerebral cortex down into the spinal cord. Its function is unknown, thoug ...

. These fibers connect with the fibers of the ansa lenticularis in the field H of Forel to form the thalamic fasciculus. * The thalamic fasciculus is formed by the fibers of the ansa lenticularis and the lenticular fasciculus that merge in the field H of Forel. The fibers of this fasciculus then travel to the thalamus and primarily terminate in the

and

. Some fibers travel to the interthalamic nuclei.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pallidothalamic Connections Thalamic connections Brainstem Basal ganglia connections

Anatomy

See also

References