| Ventral lateral 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 | |
| Identifiers | |
| NeuroNames | 337 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1237 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Theventral lateral nucleus (VL) is a nucleus in theventral nuclear group of thethalamus.
It receives neuronal inputs from thebasal ganglia which includes thesubstantia nigra and theglobus pallidus (via thethalamic fasciculus). It also has inputs from thecerebellum (via thedentatothalamic tract).
It sends neuronal output to theprimary motor cortex andpremotor cortex.
The ventral lateral nucleus in the thalamus forms the motor functional division in thethalamic nuclei along with theventral anterior nucleus. The ventral lateral nucleus receives motor information from the cerebellum and the globus pallidus. Output from the ventral lateral nucleus then goes to the primary motor cortex.[1]
The function of the ventral lateral nucleus is to target efferents including the motor cortex, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor cortex. Therefore, its function helps the coordination and planning of movement. It also plays a role in the learning of movement.[2]
A lesion of the VL has been associated withsynesthesia.[3]
The subdivisions of the ventral lateral nucleus include the following nuclei.
