Clinical thalamus

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Status
Done

Thalamic syndrome of Dejerine-Roussy

  • Vascular occlusion of the thalamogeniculate branch of posterior cerebral artery which supplies the posterolateral part of thalamus.
  • Features
    • Anaesthesia dolorosa (painful anaesthesia)
      • Pansensory loss contralateral to the side of lesion
        • Due to involvement of ventral posterior nuclei)
      • Thalamic pain
        • Severe, persistent, paroxysmal and intolerable pain
        • due to involvement of intralaminar and other non-specific nuclei
    • Transient hemiparesis
      • Due to involvement of internal capsule
    • Hemiataxia and choreiform movements
      • Due to involvement of pallidofugal fibres which intersect internal capsule and subthalamus
    • Homonymous hemianopia
      • Due to involvement of lateral geniculate body
Type
Group
Nucleus
Specific Inputs
Output
Function
Deficits
Relay
Motor relay
Ventral anterior (VA)
Globus pallidus, SN, cerebellum
Premotor (area 6) and PFC
Planning of movement (cortico-subcortico-cortical loop)
Motor relay
Ventral lateral (VL)
Cerebellum, GP, SN
Primary motor (area 4) and premotor (area 6)
Initiation of movement (cortico-cerebello-cortical loop)
Ataxia, mild motor weakness, language, memory difficulties
Sensory modulator group
Lateral dorsal (LD)
Hippocampus (fornix)
Cingulate gyrus
Limbic (memory)
Impaired visual discrimination, hemispatial neglect, language deficits, psychosis
Ventral intermediate (VIM)
Cerebellum
Primary motor cortex (area 4)
Coordination of movement
Sensory relay
Ventral posterolateral (VPL)
Medial lemniscus (body), spinothalamic tract (body)
Somatosensory cortex (area 1-3)
Somatosensory (body)
Dejerine-Roussy disease (thalamic pain syndrome); contralateral hemianesthesia (typically for all sensory modalities) of body and limbs (VPl) or head and neck (VPm)
Sensory relay
Ventral posteromedial (VPM)
Medial lemniscus (face), spinothalamic tract (face), Central tegmental tract (taste)
Somatosensory cortex (area 1-3), Insula
Somatosensory (head and taste)
Dejerine-Roussy disease (thalamic pain syndrome); contralateral hemianesthesia (typically for all sensory modalities) of body and limbs (VPl) or head and neck (VPm)
Sensory relay
Medial geniculate (MGN)
Brachium of the inferior colliculus
Auditory cortex (area 41,42)
Auditory relay
Central deafness
Sensory relay
Lateral geniculate (LGN)
Optic tract
Visual cortex (Area 17)
Visual relay
Contralateral homonymous hemianopia (loss of vision in the same visual field on both eyes)
Limbic group
Anterior
Mammillothalamic tract, hippocampus
Cingulate gyrus
Limbic (emotion and memory)
Amnesia, language difficulties (reduced spontaneous speech, anomia)
Association
Limbic group
Dorsomedial (DM)
Prefrontal cortex, olfactory and limbic structures
Prefrontal cortex
Limbic (Emotional response to pain and memory)
Apathy, abulia, disinhibition, working memory deficits, sleep dysregulation
Sensory modulator group
Lateral posterior (LP)
Unknown
Parietal association cortex
Unknown
Impaired visual discrimination, hemispatial neglect, language deficits, psychosis
Sensory modulator group
Pulvinar
Parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes
Parietal-occipital-temporal association cortex
Visual association
Impaired visual discrimination, hemispatial neglect, language deficits, psychosis
Regulatory
Nonspecific thalamic group
Reticular
Thalamus and cortex
All thalamic nuclei
Attention
Apathy, abulia, disinhibition, working memory deficits, sleep dysregulation
Nonspecific thalamic group
Centromedian (CM)
Brainstem
Putamen and motor cortex
Attention and arousal
Apathy, abulia, disinhibition, working memory deficits, sleep dysregulation
Nonspecific thalamic group
Parafascicular
Brainstem
Caudate nucleus and PFC
Attention and arousal
Apathy, abulia, disinhibition, working memory deficits, sleep dysregulation

Thalamic Stroke Syndromes by Vascular Territory