Pulvinar nuclei
| Brain: Pulvinar nuclei | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Hind- and mid-brains; postero-lateral view. (Pulvinar visible near top.) | ||
 |
||
| 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 |
||
| Latin | pulvinar thalami, nuclei pulvinares | |
| NeuroNames | hier-311 | |
| MeSH | Pulvinar | |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_824 | |
The pulvinar nuclei (nuclei pulvinares) are a collection of nuclei located in the pulvinar thalamus. The pulvinar part is the most posterior region of the thalamus.
The pulvinar is usually grouped as one of the lateral thalamic nuclei. The word is derived from the Latin pulvinus for "cushion". In Ancient Roman religion a pulvinar was an "empty throne" or cushioned couch for occupation by a deity.
Contents |
[edit] Divisions
It is conventionally divided into dorsal, inferior, lateral, and medial subnuclei.
- The lateral and inferior pulvinar have widespread connections with visual cortical association areas.
- The dorsal pulvinar predominantly has connections with somatosensory cortical association areas.
- The medial pulvinar has widespread connections with cingulate, posterior parietal, and prefrontal cortical areas.
- The pulvinar also has input from the superior colliculus that influences pulvinar output to visual association cortex, which seems to be important in regulating visual attention
[edit] Species variation
The pulvinar varies in importance in different animals: it is virtually nonexistent in the rat, and grouped as the lateral posterior-pulvinar complex" with the lateral posterior thalamic nucleus due to its small size in cats. In humans it makes up roughly 40% of the thalamus making it the largest of its nuclei.[1]
[edit] Pathology
Lesions of the pulvinar can result in neglect syndromes and attentional deficits.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ LaBerge, D. (1999). Attention pp. 44-98. In Cognitive science (Handbook of Perception and Cognition, Second Edition), Bly BM, Rumelhart DE. (edits). Academic Press ISBN 978-0126017304 p. 73
[edit] Additional images
-
Thalamus
-
Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
-
Dissection of brain-stem. Dorsal view.
-
Scheme showing central connections of the optic nerves and optic tracts.
-
Human brain left dissected midsagittal view
[edit] External links
- Atlas of anatomy at UMich eye_38 - "The Visual Pathway from Below"
 |
This neuroanatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
