ventral posterolateral nucleus#Subdivisions

{{Short description|Nucleus}}

{{Infobox brain

| Name = Ventral posterolateral nucleus

| Latin = nucleus ventralis posterolateralis

| Image = ThalamicNuclei.svg

| Caption = 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

| Image2 = Thalamus-schematic.svg

| Caption2 = Thalamic nuclei

| IsPartOf = Ventral posterior nucleus

| Components =

| Artery =

| Vein =

}}

The ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) is one of the subdivisions of the ventral posterior nucleus in the ventral nuclear group of the thalamus. 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.{{cite book |last1=Brodal |first1=Per |title=The Central Nervous System: Structure and Function |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |year= 2004 |page=444 |isbn=978-0-19-516560-9 |author1-link=Per Alf Brodal}}{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

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.{{cite journal |last1=Willis WD |first1=Jr |last2=Zhang |first2=X |last3=Honda |first3=CN |last4=Giesler GJ |first4=Jr |title=A critical review of the role of the proposed VMpo nucleus in pain. |journal=The Journal of Pain |date=April 2002 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=79–94 |doi=10.1054/jpai.2002.122949 |doi-access=free |pmid=14622792}}{{cite journal |last1=Graziano |first1=A |last2=Jones |first2=EG |title=Widespread thalamic terminations of fibers arising in the superficial medullary dorsal horn of monkeys and their relation to calbindin immunoreactivity. |journal=The Journal of Neuroscience |date=7 January 2004 |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=248–56 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4122-03.2004 |pmid=14715957|pmc=6729588 }}

The term "ventral posterolateral nucleus" was introduced by Le Gros Clark in 1930.{{Cite book |title=The Thalamus |publisher=Springer |location=New York |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-1749-8 |year=1985 |isbn=978-1-4613-5704-9 |s2cid=41337319 |last1=Jones |first1=Edward G |author1-link=Edward G. Jones |page=327}}{{cite journal |last1=Le Gros Clark |first1=W. E. |title=The Thalamus of Tarsius |journal=Journal of Anatomy |date=1930 |volume=64 |issue=4 |pages=371–414 |pmid=17104288 |pmc=1250146}}