Initial evaluation structures (IESs) currently proposed as the earliest detectors of affective stimuli (e.g., amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, or insula) are high-order structures (a) whose response latency cannot account for the first visual cortex emotion-related response (~80 ms), and (b) lack the necessary infrastructure to locally analyze the visual features that define emotional stimuli. Several thalamic structures accomplish both criteria. The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), a first-order thalamic nucleus that actively processes visual information, with the complement of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) are proposed as core IESs. This LGN–TRN tandem could be supported by the pulvinar, a second-order thalamic structure, and by other extrathalamic nuclei. The visual thalamus, scarcely explored in affective neurosciences, seems crucial in early emotional evaluation.

目前提出的最早的情感刺激（例如杏仁核、眶额皮层或脑岛）检测器的初始评估结构 (IES) 是高阶结构 (a)，其反应潜伏期无法解释第一个视觉皮层情绪相关反应（~ 80 ms），和（b）缺乏必要的基础设施来局部分析定义情绪刺激的视觉特征。几个丘脑结构满足这两个标准。外侧膝状核 (LGN) 是一种主动处理视觉信息的一级丘脑核，与丘脑网状核 (TRN) 的互补被提议作为核心 IES。这种 LGN-TRN 串联可以由丘脑、二级丘脑结构和其他丘脑外核支持。视觉丘脑，在情感神经科学中很少被探索，