Ventral Intermediate Nucleus (Vim)
Disorders Treated with Stimulation
- Primary indications: Essential tremor, tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease. [1,2,3]
Location
- The Vim is an ovoid nucleus in the ventral thalamus, hypointense on PD and FGATIR. It is positioned medial to the middle third of the posterior limb internal capsule. [1]
Associated Tracts
- Dentatorubrothalamic Tract (DRTT): The Vim is positioned along the course of the non-decussating (DRTT) fibers, and posterior to the decussating DRTT fibers which course through the posterior ventral-oralis (VO) nucleus. [2]
- The Vim is part of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit via the DRTT and involved in motor control and coordination. It receives input from the cerebellum and projects to the motor cortex. [2]
References
- Wakim AA, Sioda NA, Zhou JJ, et al. Direct targeting of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus in deep brain stimulation for essential tremor: a prospective study with comparison to a historical cohort. J Neurosurg. 2021;136(3):662-671.
- Middlebrooks EH, Domingo RA, Vivas-Buitrago T, et al. Neuroimaging Advances in Deep Brain Stimulation: Review of Indications, Anatomy, and Brain Connectomics. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2020;41(9):1558-1568.
- Lee DJ, Lozano CS, Dallapiazza RF, Lozano AM. Current and future directions of deep brain stimulation for neurological and psychiatric disorders. J Neurosurg. 2019 Aug 1;131(2):333-342. doi: 10.3171/2019.4.JNS181761. PMID: 31370011.