The ventral posterior nucleus is the somato-sensory relay nucleus in thalamus

Thalamus

The thalamus is a midline paired symmetrical structure within the brains of vertebrates, including humans. It is situated between the cerebral cortex and midbrain, both in terms of location and neurological connections...

 of the brain.

Input and output

The ventral posterior nucleus receives neuronal input from the medial lemniscus

Medial lemniscus

The medial lemniscus, also known as Reil's band or Reil's ribbon, is a pathway in the brainstem that carries sensory information from the gracile and cuneate nuclei to the thalamus.-Path:...

, spinal lemniscus, spinothalamic tracts, and trigeminothalamic tract. It projects to the somatosensory cortex and the ascending reticuloactivation system.

Subdivisions

The ventral posterior nucleus is divided into:

• Ventral posterolateral nucleus
  Ventral posterolateral nucleus
  The ventral posterolateral nucleus is a nucleus of the thalamus. Together with the ventral posteromedial nucleus , VPI and VMpo, it constitutes the ventral posterior nucleus.-Input and output:...
  
  , which e.g. receives sensory information from the body.
• Ventral posteromedial nucleus
  Ventral posteromedial nucleus
  -Inputs and outputs:It conveys information of the trigeminothalamic tract, from the solitary tract and the trigeminal nerve and projects to the postcentral gyrus....
  
  , which e.g. receives sensory information from the head and face via the trigeminal nerve
  Trigeminal nerve
  The trigeminal nerve contains both sensory and motor fibres. It is responsible for sensation in the face and certain motor functions such as biting, chewing, and swallowing. Sensory information from the face and body is processed by parallel pathways in the central nervous system...
  
  .

Function

Functions in touch, body position, pain

Pain

Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...

, temperature

Temperature

Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

, itch

Itch

Itch is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience. Modern science has shown that itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant sensory experiences, their behavioral response...

, taste

Taste

Taste is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc....

, and arousal

Arousal

Arousal is a physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli. It involves the activation of the reticular activating system in the brain stem, the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, leading to increased heart rate and blood pressure and a condition of...

.