The ventral lateral nucleus (VL) is a motor relay of the thalamus. Its posterior part receives the output of the cerebellum through the superior cerebellar peduncle, and its anterior part receives input from the basal ganglia. It projects to the primary motor and premotor cortex, linking these motor control loops back to the cortex.
| Location | Ventral tier of the lateral thalamus, between the ventral anterior nucleus in front and the ventral posterior nuclei behind |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Thalamoperforating arteries; Thalamogeniculate arteries |
Feeds processed cerebellar and basal ganglia signals to the motor cortex to help plan, coordinate and smooth voluntary movement.
The ventral intermediate (Vim) part of the motor thalamus is the standard deep brain stimulation or focused ultrasound target for essential tremor and some tremor-dominant Parkinson disease. Lesions here can cause contralateral clumsiness and ataxia that resemble cerebellar disease.
A common action tremor of the hands that, when severe, is treated by stimulating or lesioning the ventral intermediate part of this nucleus.
Clumsiness and incoordination of the opposite limbs from a stroke interrupting the cerebellar relay in the motor thalamus.
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