Ventral posteromedial 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
Identifiers
Latin	nucleus ventralis posteromedialis thalami
NeuroNames	347
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_743
TA98	A14.1.08.642
TA2	5693
FMA	62202
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) is a nucleus of the thalamus and serves an analogous somatosensory relay role for the ascending trigeminothalamic tracts as its lateral neighbour the ventral posterolateral nucleus serves for dorsal column–medial lemniscus pathway 2nd-order neurons.^[1]

Inputs and outputs

The VPM contains synapses between second and third order neurons from the anterior (ventral) trigeminothalamic tract and posterior (dorsal) trigeminothalamic tract. These neurons convey sensory information from the face and oral cavity. Third order neurons in the trigeminothalamic systems project to the postcentral gyrus.

The VPM also receives taste afferent information from the solitary tract and projects to the cortical gustatory area.

Subareas

VPMpc

The parvicellular part of the ventroposterior medial nucleus (VPMpc) is argued by some as not an actually part of the VPM, because it does not project to the somatosensory cortex as the remainder of the VPM does, and therefore should be called the ventromedial nucleus (VMb) instead. ^[2]

Sources

• Kiernan, J., & Rajakumar, R. (2013). Barr's the human nervous system: an anatomical viewpoint. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.