lateral geniculate nucleus

lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)

The term lateral geniculate nucleus refers to one of two components of the lateral geniculate complex in the human ( Mai-2004; Riley-1943 ), the macaque ( Shantha-1968; Martin-2000 ), the rat ( Swanson-2004 ), and the mouse ( Franklin-2008 ), In primates it is a large six-layered nucleus located ventral to a thin pregeniculate nucleus. Separated from the smaller nucleus by fibers of the optic tract, it is composed of two parts: the ventral layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (layers 1 and 2), and the dorsal layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (layers 3-5). Many authors refer to it as the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus or DLG. That poses no problem in the rat ( Swanson-2004 ) and the mouse ( Franklin-2008 ), because the lateral geniculate nucleus lies dorsal to the other component of the lateral geniculate complex, the pregeniculate nucleus.. Applied to the adult primates, however, it causes confusion, because in primates the lateral geniculate nucleus is located ventral to the pregeniculate nucleus.

Also known as: Nucleus corporis geniculati lateralis, pars dorsalis, Nucleus geniculatus lateralis dorsalis, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, lateral geniculate complex, dorsal part, Corpus geniculatum laterale (Hassler), lateral geniculate nucleus, dorsal part, dorsal part of the lateral geniculate complex, Nucleus geniculatus lateralis, lateral geniculate nucleus

NeuroNames ID: 353

All Names & Sources

1 of 23

Showing 23 synonym(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 23 synonym(s)

Name:

ядро латерального коленчатого тела (дорсальная часть)

Language:

Russian

Organism:

human

Source:

Baev-2000

Citation:

Moskva: Meditsina, 2000.

Source Title:

Magnitno-Resonansnaia Tomografiia Golovnogo Mozga: Normal'naia Anatomiia

Name:

DLG

Language:

acronym

Organism:

macaque

Source:

Martin-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Primate Brain Maps: Structure Of The Macaque Brain

Name:

Nucleus corporis geniculati lateralis, pars dorsalis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Nomina-1983

Citation:

Fifth Edition, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1983

Source Title:

Nomina Anatomica

Name:

Nucleus geniculatus lateralis dorsalis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Olszewski-1952

Citation:

S. Karger, Basel, Switzerland, 1952

Source Title:

The Thalamus Of The Macaca mulatta: An Atlas For Use With The Stereotaxic Instrument

Name:

dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

macaque

Source:

Jones-1990

Citation:

Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1990;54-55:1-20

Source Title:

Correlation and revised nomenclature of ventral nuclei in the thalamus of human and monkey

Name:

dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Bowden-1997

Citation:

Source Title:

A digital Rosetta stone for primate brain terminology

Name:

lateral geniculate complex, dorsal part

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Bowden-1997

Citation:

Source Title:

A digital Rosetta stone for primate brain terminology

Name:

Corpus geniculatum laterale (Hassler)

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Jones-1990

Citation:

Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1990;54-55:1-20

Source Title:

Correlation and revised nomenclature of ventral nuclei in the thalamus of human and monkey

Name:

lateral geniculate nucleus, dorsal part

Language:

English

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Hof-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Comparative Cytoarchitectonic Atlas of the C57BL/6 and 129/Sv Mouse Brains

Name:

LGd

Language:

acronym

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Hof-2000

Citation:

Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000

Source Title:

Comparative Cytoarchitectonic Atlas of the C57BL/6 and 129/Sv Mouse Brains

Name:

dorsal part of the lateral geniculate complex

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

BAMS

Citation:

Bota M, Dong HW and Swanson L (2003) From gene networks to brain networks, Nature Neuroscience. 6:795-799.

Source Title:

Brain Architecture Management System

Name:

DLG

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Paxinos-2009a

Citation:

Amsterdam: Elsevier-Academic Press. 2009

Source Title:

The Rhesus Monkey Brain, Second Edition

Name:

Nucleus geniculatus lateralis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Nomina-1983

Citation:

Fifth Edition, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1983

Source Title:

Nomina Anatomica

Name:

Language:

acronym

Organism:

human

Source:

Mai-2002

Citation:

Zentrum für Anatomie und Hirnforschung, Institut für Neuroanatomie Heinrich Heine Universität, Düsseldorf, Deutschland

Source Title:

Name:

corpo geniculato laterale

Language:

Italian

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1995

Citation:

EdiSes, s.r.l.- Napoli, 1995

Source Title:

Fondamenti di Neuroanatomia

Name:

badan genikulat lateral

Language:

Indonesian

Organism:

human

Source:

Noback-1982

Citation:

Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kedokteran EGC, 1982

Source Title:

Anatomi Susunan Saraf Manusia, Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Neurobiologi

Name:

korpus genikulat lateral

Language:

Indonesian

Organism:

human

Source:

Noback-1982

Citation:

Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kedokteran EGC, 1982

Source Title:

Anatomi Susunan Saraf Manusia, Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Neurobiologi

Name:

наружное коленчатое тело

Language:

Russian

Organism:

human

Source:

Savel'ev-1996

Citation:

AREA XVII, Moscow, 1996.

Source Title:

Stereoskopicheskii Atlas Mozga Cheloveka

Name:

латеральное коленчатое тело

Language:

Russian

Organism:

human

Source:

Savel'ev-1996

Citation:

AREA XVII, Moscow, 1996.

Source Title:

Stereoskopicheskii Atlas Mozga Cheloveka

Name:

corps géniculé latéral

Language:

French

Organism:

human

Source:

Duvernoy-1992

Citation:

Springer-Verlag, Paris, 1992

Source Title:

Le cerveau humain: Surface, coupes seriees tridimensionnelles et IRM

Name:

cuerpo geniculado externo

Language:

Spanish

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1994

Citation:

edicion 4, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore; traducción de Editorial Medica Panamericana, Buenos Aires, efectuada por el Dr. Alejandro Kaufman

Source Title:

Neuroanatomía Fundamentos

Name:

lateral geniculate nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

LGN

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Unspecified

Source:

NeuroNames

Citation:

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Source Title:

NeuroNames

Illustrations

Showing 4 illustration(s)

labeled line drawings of
sagittal section in
Macaca fascicularis

multiple views of
3D reconstruction in
Macaca mulatta

Nissl stain & diagram of
coronal section in
mouse

Nissl stain & diagram of
sagittal section in
mouse

Species With The Structure

Equivalent By	Human	Macaque	Rat	Mouse
Topology	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure

1 of 7

Showing 7 record(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 7 record(s)

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Corpus geniculatum laterale (Hassler)

Source:

Jones-1990

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus corporis geniculati lateralis, pars dorsalis

Source:

Nomina-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca mulatta (Macaca mulatta)

Their Name:

Nucleus geniculatus lateralis dorsalis

Source:

Olszewski-1952

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

Source:

Bowden-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

dorsal part of the lateral geniculate complex

Source:

BAMS

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

lateral geniculate complex, dorsal part

Source:

Bowden-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Mus (mouse)

Their Name:

lateral geniculate nucleus, dorsal part

Source:

Hof-2000

Models Where It Appears

Structural CNS Model - Macaque

Brain structures of the macaque are illustrated in BrainInfo’s NeuroMaps macaque brain atlas. Structures are grouped by proximity in a hierarchy corresponding to the central nervous system hierarchy of NeuroNames ( Bowden-1995 Martin-2000 ). Structures in the NeuroMaps atlas are based on the segmentation of an MRI of the brain of a 3-year old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The atlas is most useful for targeting structures for implantating electrodes and chemtrodes. Updated 29 Oct 2025.

Functional CNS Model - Rat

The Functional CNS Model - Rat (FMrat) ( Swanson-2004) is one of three hierarchical models representing the internal organization of the central nervous system (CNS). The others are the Structural CNS Model - Human (SThmn) and the Functional CNS Model - Human (FMhmn). The FMrat model represents the basic organization of the mouse ( Hof-2000 AMBA-2024 ) and, presumably, other rodents. Functional CNS models differ from structural models in that structures are defined and named by connectivity rather than by proximity to other structures at the same level. Functional models are more useful for representing longitudinal components of are grouped based on information drawn from multiple neuroscientific disciplines. such as connections, neurochemical characteristics, and role in physiogical and behavioral processes. While the Functional Model was developed primarily for an atlas of the rat brain ( Swanson-2004 ), the hierarchical organization of structures is for the most part applicable to the human, macaque, mouse and other mammalian brains as well. Structures at lower levels of the Functional CNS hierarchy are largely the same as in the Classical and Developmental Models, i.e., they were originally identified by stains for gray matter (Nissl substance) and white matter (myelin). At the next higher level they are grouped into basic connectional and functional systems of the CNS, such as the subcortical sensory systems, the brainstem motor system and the behavioral state system. At the highest levels CNS structures are grouped on the basis of dissection and embryologic precursors into cerebrum ( cerebral cortex and cerebral nuclei ), cerebellum, and cerebrospinal trunk.

gray matter (central nervous system gray matter)

white matter (basic fiber systems)

cerebral ventricles (ventricular system)