Table 2.

Categorical representations of thalamic nuclear groups. Note the terms “principle input” and “principle output” were derived from priori anatomical knowledge, and not from fMRI analyses alone.

Functional anatomy		Principle Input	Principle Output
Group by anatomical connections	Representative nuclei
Limbic nuclei	AD, AM, AV, MD, LD	Mammillary complex, amygdala, hypothalamus	Cingulate gyrus, prefrontal cortex
Motor relay nuclei	VA, VL	Basal ganglia, cerebellum	Premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, primary motor cortex, precentral gyrus
Sensory relay nuclei	VPL, VPM, LGN, MGN	Lemniscus, optic tract	Postcentral gyrus, paracentral lobule, postcentral gyrus, cuneus and lingual gyri, superior transverse temporal gyri
Association nuclei	Li, LP, Pu	Parietal, prefrontal, occipital cortex	Parietal, prefrontal, occipital cortex
Intralarminar nuclei	CeM, CL, CM, Pf, sPf	Brainstem reticular formation	Caudate, putamen, cortex