Ventral Posteromedial (VPM) Nucleus

Summary

The ventral posteromedial nucleus, or the VPM nucleus for short, is a nucleus located in the thalamus of the brain. As a thalamic relay, the VPM nucleus receives sensory information from the face, from the trigeminal and taste or gustatory pathways. The VPM nucleus then sends this information to the primary somatosensory cortex for further processing.

Key Points

• Ventral Posteromedial (VPM) Nucleus
  • Location
    • Thalamus
      • Major relay for most sensory and motor information
  • Input
    • Sensation
      • From face and tongue (taste)
        • Via trigeminal and gustatory pathway
  • Destination
    • Primary somatosensory cortex
  • Lesions
    • Lacunar stroke involving ventral posterior thalamus knocks out VPL and VPM nuclei, resulting in complete contralateral sensory loss.
      • This can also cause thalamic syndrome, characterized by contralateral burning or stabbing pain over one side of the body