We report a sequential neuroimaging study in a 48-years-old man with a history of chronic hypertension and lacunar strokes involving the ventral lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus. 
Area PE sends a major projection terminating with small endings to the thalamic lateral posterior nucleus (LP), ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL), medial pulvinar (PuM) and, but fewer, to ventral lateral posterior nucleus, dorsal division (VLpd), central lateral nucleus (CL) and center median nucleus (CM), whereas giant endings formed restricted terminal fields in LP, VPL and PuM.
Subtraction analysis revealed that lesions correlated with excellent outcomes necessarily involved the interface of the nucleus ventralis intermedius (Vim; also known as the ventral lateral posterior nucleus [ VLp]) and the nucleus ventrocaudalis (Vc; also known as the ventral posterior [ VP] nucleus).
The lesions were located within the pulvinar, the sensory nuclei, the mediodorsal nucleus, and the ventral lateral posterior nucleus (according to the classification of Hirai and Jones), the latter including the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim according to the classification of Hassler).
Tremor-locked units were confined to the ventral division of the ventral lateral posterior nucleus (35.4%).
Predominant PV immunostaining characterizes primary somatosensory, visual and auditory nuclei, the ventral lateral posterior nucleus, reticular nucleus (R), and to a lesser degree also, lateral part of the centre median nucleus, and anterior, lateral, and inferior divisions of the pulvinar complex.
The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between the precruciate cortex (PreCtx) and the ventral lateral posterior nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus in the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia.
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