Ventral posterior nucleus
Thalamic nuclei: MNG = Midline nuclear group AN = Anterior nuclear group MD = Medial dorsal nucleus VNG = Ventral nuclear group VA = Ventral anterior nucleus VL = Ventral lateral nucleus VPL = Ventral posterolateral nucleus VPM = Ventral posteromedial nucleus LNG = Lateral nuclear group PUL = Pulvinar MTh = Metathalamus LG = Lateral geniculate nucleus MG = Medial geniculate nucleus
Thalamic nuclei
Details
Part of	Thalamus
Identifiers
Latin	Nucleus ventralis posterior thalami
NeuroNames	343
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_1116
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The ventral posterior nucleus is the somato-sensory relay nucleus in thalamus of the brain.^[1]

Input and output

The ventral posterior nucleus receives neuronal input from the medial lemniscus, spinothalamic tracts, and trigeminothalamic tract. It projects to the somatosensory cortex and the ascending reticuloactivation system.

Subdivisions

The ventral posterior nucleus is divided into:

• Ventral posterolateral nucleus, which receives sensory information from the body via the medial lemniscus, and spinothalamic tracts.
• Ventral posteromedial nucleus, which receives sensory information from the head and face via the trigeminal nerve.
• Ventral intermediate nucleus, implicated in oscillatory tremor generation in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.^[2]

Function

The ventral posterior nucleus has, by virtue of its afferent and efferent pathways, crucial relay and regulatory roles in touch, body position, pain, temperature, itch, taste, and arousal. Additionally, the VPN—and particularly the ventral intermediate nucleus of the VPN—have been implicated in the pathophysiology and modulation of oscillatory tremors as found in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor; accordingly, it is a target of deep brain stimulation in the treatment of such pathologies.

Additional images

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  Thalamus
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  Thalamus