Pulvinar nucleus of Thalamus

Clinic

• Pulvinar is the largest nucleus of thalamus
• It has strong connectivity with the visual cortex.
• Pulvinar is a prototypic association nucleus that participates in reciprocal cortico-cortical interactions and promotes synchronized oscillatory activity in functionally related areas of the cortex.
• Via its connections with the superior colliculus (SC) and areas of the dorsal visual stream projecting to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), it is an important component of the visual attention network.
• Visual salience is likely an important function of the pulvinar.
• It also participates in mechanisms of social cognition and blindsight.
• Unilateral lesions of the pulvinar result in a contralateral neglect syndrome resembling that resulting from lesions of PPC.
• It is susceptible to damage in epilepsy and prion disorders (NVCJD)
• It may contribute to cognitive and visual manifestations of Lewy body disease.