However, recent evidence from mice and fish question this statement and define it as a dorsal thalamic structure.

[citation needed] Thalamic Reticular Nucleus is variously abbreviated TRN, RTN, NRT, and RT.

The thalamic reticular nucleus receives massive projections from the external segment of the globus pallidus, thought to play a part in disinhibition of thalamic cells, which is essential for initiation of movement (Parent and Hazrati, 1995).

[9] It has been suggested that the reticular nucleus receives afferent input from the reticular formation[citation needed] and in turn projects to the other thalamic nuclei, regulating the flow of information through these to the cortex.

There is debate over the presence of distinct sectors within the nucleus that each correspond to a different sensory or cognitive modality.