The subthalamus is located
ventral to the
thalamus,
medial to the
internal capsule and
lateral to the
hypothalamus. It is a region formed by several
grey matter nuclei and their associated
white matter structures, namely: • The
subthalamic nucleus, whose neurons contain
glutamate and have excitatory effects over neurons of
globus pallidus and
substantia nigra •
Zona incerta, located between
fields of Forel H1 and H2. It is continuous with the
thalamic reticular nucleus and receives input from the
precentral cortex. •
Subthalamic fasciculus, formed by fibers that connect the globus pallidus with the subthalamic nucleus •
Fields of Forel •
Ansa lenticularis During development the subthalamus is continuous with the hypothalamus, but is separated by white matter fibres mainly from the internal capsule. Caudally, the subthalamus or prethalamus is separated from the thalamus by the
zona limitans intrathalamica. Postnatally, the subthalamus lies beneath the thalamus, hence 'sub' (meaning below) 'thalamus'. It also lies dorsolateral to the hypothalamus. ==Connections==