The posterior limb is the back part of the internal capsule, lying between the thalamus medially and the lentiform nucleus laterally. It carries the corticospinal fibres for the arm, trunk and leg, arranged from front to back, and the thalamocortical sensory fibres to the postcentral gyrus. Behind it, retrolenticular and sublenticular parts carry the optic and auditory radiations.
| Location | Between the thalamus and the lentiform nucleus, extending behind the lentiform nucleus |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Lenticulostriate arteries (upper part); Anterior choroidal artery (lower part) |
Carries motor commands to the body and sensory input to the cortex, plus visual and auditory radiations in its posterior parts.
This is the most clinically important part of the internal capsule: a small lacunar infarct here causes pure motor hemiparesis of the opposite face, arm and leg. Larger lesions add hemisensory loss and, if the retrolenticular part is involved, a homonymous hemianopia. Hypertensive putaminal haemorrhages commonly extend into it.
Weakness of the opposite face, arm and leg equally, without sensory or language loss, from a small infarct in the posterior limb.
Hypertensive bleeding that spreads into the posterior limb, causing dense hemiplegia and sensory loss.
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