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Medical Definition of Lateral nucleus of thalamus
1. The largest of the major subdivisions of the thalamus; the composite lateral nucleus includes, from before backward, the nucleus lateralis anterior or dorsalis, nucleus lateralis intermedius, nucleus lateralis posterior, and pulvinar; together, these cell groups form most of the free dorsal surface of the posterior half of the thalamus and project to a very large region of parietal, occipitoparietal, and temporal cortex; its afferent connections are largely obscure, but the nucleus lateralis posterior and the pulvinar receive a projection from the superior colliculus. Synonym: nucleus lateralis thalami. (05 Mar 2000)