Pulvinar

The pulvinar is the large, rounded posterior part of the thalamus, forming its prominent posterior pole. It extends posteriorly beyond the main body of the thalamus and overhangs the superior colliculus of the midbrain. Inferiorly, the pulvinar is closely related to the medial and lateral geniculate bodies, while its posterior surface faces the tectal (quadrigeminal) region of the midbrain.

Cyto-architectonically, the pulvinar is a complex of several nuclear territories, conventionally divided into the anterior, medial, lateral, and inferior pulvinar. The medial pulvinar is the largest of these subdivisions.

The pulvinar has extensive connections with the cerebral cortex and functions primarily as a thalamic association region involved in attention and higher-order integration of sensory information.