- Glossary
Posterior ventral nucleus
A nucleus of the dorsal thalamus that serves as the main somatosensory thalamic nucleus. The VPL receives somatosensory afferents from the body via the spinal cord (pressure, touch, vibration, proprioception, pain, temperature), while the VPM receives afferents from the head region via the trigeminal nerve. It transmits this information to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and thus plays a central role in the awareness of somatosensory stimuli, including pain.
