Spinocerebellar tracts are labeled in blue at right.
Details
Identifiers
Latin
Tractus spinocerebellaris
MeSH
D020824
NeuroNames
1978
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
[edit on Wikidata]
The spinocerebellar tract is a nerve tract originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side (ipsilateral) of the cerebellum.
Contents
1Origins of proprioceptive information
2Subdivisions of the tract
2.1Dorsal spinocerebellar tract
2.2Ventral spinocerebellar tract
2.2.1Comparison with dorsal spinocerebellar tract
2.3Posterior external arcuate fibers
2.4Rostral spinocerebellar tract
3Pathway for dorsal and spinocuneocerebellar tracts
4Pathway for ventral and rostral spinocerebellar tracts
5Additional images
6References
7Further reading
8External links
Origins of proprioceptive information
Proprioceptive information is obtained by Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles.
Golgi tendon organs consist of a fibrous capsule enclosing tendon fascicles and bare nerve endings that respond to tension in the tendon by causing action potentials in type Ib afferents. These fibers are relatively large, myelinated, and quickly conducting.
Muscle spindles monitor the length within muscles and send information via faster Ia afferents. These axons are larger and faster than type Ib (from both nuclear bag fibers and nuclear chain fibers) and type II afferents (solely from nuclear chain fibers).
All of these neurons are sensory (first order, or primary) and have their cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia. They pass through rexed laminae layers I-VI of the posterior grey column (dorsal horn) to form synapses with second order or secondary neurons in layer VII just beneath the dorsal horn.
Subdivisions of the tract
The tract is divided into:[1][dubious – discuss]
Division
Peripheral Process of First Order the Neuron
Region of Innervation
dorsal (posterior) spinocerebellar tract
from muscle spindle (primarily) and golgi tendon organs
ipsilateral Caudal Aspect of the body and legs
ventral (anterior) spinocerebellar tract
from golgi tendon organs
ipsilateral Caudal Aspect of the body and legs
Cuneocerebellar tract
from muscle spindle (primarily) and golgi tendon organs
ipsilateral arm
Rostral spinocerebellar tract
from golgi tendon organs
Ipsilateral arm
Dorsal spinocerebellar tract
The dorsal spinocerebellar tract (posterior spinocerebellar tract, Flechsig's fasciculus, Flechsig's tract) conveys proprioceptive information from proprioceptors in the skeletal muscles and joints to the cerebellum.[2]
It is part of the somatosensory system and runs in parallel with the ventral spinocerebellar tract. It carries proprioceptive information from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs of ipsilateral part of trunk and lower limb.
Proprioceptive information is taken to the spinal cord via central processes of dorsal root ganglia (first order neurons). These central processes travel through the dorsal horn where they synapse with second order neurons of Clarke's nucleus. Axon fibers from Clarke's Nucleus convey this proprioceptive information in the spinal cord in the peripheral region of the funiculus posterior ipsilaterally. The fibers continue to course through the medulla oblongata of the brainstem, at which point they pass through the inferior cerebellar peduncle and into the cerebellum, where unconscious proprioceptive information is processed.
This tract involves two neurons and ends up on the same side of the body.
The terms Flechsig's fasciculus and Flechsig's tract are named after German neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and neuropathologist Paul Flechsig.
Ventral spinocerebellar tract
The ventral spinocerebellar tract (or anterior spinocerebellar tract) conveys proprioceptive information from the body to the cerebellum. Historically, it has also been known as Gowers' column (or fasciculus or tract), after Sir William Richard Gowers.
It is part of the somatosensory system and runs in parallel with the dorsal spinocerebellar tract. Both these tracts involve two neurons.
The ventral spinocerebellar tract will cross to the opposite side of the body first in the spinal cord as part of the anterior white commissure and then cross again to end in the cerebellum (referred to as a "double cross"), as compared to the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, which does not decussate, or cross sides, at all through its path.
The ventral tract (under L2/L3) gets its proprioceptive/fine touch/vibration information from a first order neuron, with its cell body in a dorsal ganglion. The axon runs via the fila radicularia to the dorsal horn of the grey matter. There it makes a synapse with the dendrites of two neurons: they send their axons bilaterally to the ventral border of the lateral funiculi. The ventral spinocerebellar tract then enters the cerebellum via the superior cerebellar peduncle. This is in contrast with the dorsal spinocerebellar tract (C8 - L2/L3), which only has 1 unilateral axon that has its cell body in Clarke's column (only at the level of C8 - L2/L3). The fibers of the ventral spinocerebellar tract then eventually enter the cerebellum via the superior cerebellar peduncle.
Originates from ventral horn at lumbosacral spinal levels. Axons first cross midline in the spinal cord and run in the ventral border of the lateral funiculi. These axons ascend to the pons where they join the superior cerebellar peduncle to enter the cerebellum. Once in the deep white matter of the cerebellum, the axons recross the midline, give off collaterals to the globose and emboliform nuclei, and terminate in the cortex of the anterior lobe and vermis of the posterior lobe.
Comparison with dorsal spinocerebellar tract
When the dorsal roots are cut in a cat performing a step cycle, peripheral excitation is lost, and the dorsal spinocerebellar tract has no activity; the ventral spinocerebellar tract continues to show activity. This suggests that the dorsal spinocerebellar tract carries sensory information to the spinocerebellum through the inferior cerebellar peduncle during movement (since the inferior peduncle is known to contain fibres from the dorsal tract), and that the ventral spinocerebellar tract carries internally generated motor information about the movement through the superior cerebellar peduncle.[3]
Posterior external arcuate fibers
The posterior external arcuate fibers (dorsal external arcuate fibers or cuneocerebellar tract)[4] take origin in the accessory cuneate nucleus; they pass to the inferior cerebellar peduncle of the same side. The term "cuneocerebellar tract" is also used to describe an exteroceptive and proprioceptive components that take origin in the gracile and cuneate nuclei; they pass to the inferior cerebellar peduncle of the same side.[5]
The posterior external arcuate fibers carry proprioceptive information from the upper limbs and neck. It is an analogue to the dorsal spinocerebellar tract for the upper limbs.[6] In this context, the "cuneo-" derives from the accessory cuneate nucleus, not the cuneate nucleus. (The two nuclei are related in space, but not in function.)
It is uncertain whether fibers are continued directly from the gracile and cuneate fasciculi into the inferior peduncle.
Rostral spinocerebellar tract
The rostral spinocerebellar tract is a tract which transmits information from the golgi tendon organs of the cranial half of the body to the cerebellum.[7] It terminates bilaterally in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum (lower cerebellar peduncle) after travelling ipsilaterally from its origin in the cervical portion of the spinal cord.[8][9] It reaches the cerebellum partly through the brachium conjunctivum (superior cerebellar peduncle) and partly through the restiform body (inferior cerebellar peduncle).[9]
Pathway for dorsal and spinocuneocerebellar tracts
The sensory neurons synapse in an area known as Clarke's nucleus or "Clarke's column".
This is a column of relay neuron cell bodies within the medial gray matter within the spinal cord in layer VII (just beneath the dorsal horn), specifically between T1-L3. These neurons then send axons up the spinal cord, and project ipsilaterally to medial zones of the cerebellum through the inferior cerebellar peduncle.
Below L3, relevant neurons pass into the fasciculus gracilis (usually associated with the dorsal column-medial lemniscal system) until L3 where they synapse with Clarke's nucleus (leading to considerable caudal enlargement).
The neurons in the accessory cuneate nucleus have axons leading to the ipsilateral cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle.
Pathway for ventral and rostral spinocerebellar tracts
Some neurons of the ventral spinocerebellar tract instead form synapses with neurons in layer VII of L4-S3. Most of these fibers cross over to the contralateral lateral funiculus via the anterior white commissure and through the superior cerebellar peduncle. The fibers then often cross over again within the cerebellum to end on the ipsilateral side. For this reason the tract is sometimes termed the "double-crosser."
The Rostral Tract synapses at the dorsal horn lamina (intermediate gray zone) of the spinal cord and ascends ipsilaterally to the cerebellum through the inferior cerebellar peduncle
Additional images
Decussation of pyramids.
Superficial dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
Dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
Dissection of brain-stem. Dorsal view.
References
^Siegel, Allan, and Hreday N. Sapru. Essential Neuroscience. 2nd. Lippincott, 2011. 146-149.
^Adel K. Afifi Functional Neuroanatomy pag.51 ISBN 970-10-5504-7
^Jessell, Thomas M.; Kandel, Eric R.; Schwartz, James H. (2000). Principles of neural science. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-8385-7701-6.
^Sabyasachi Sircar (2007). Principles of Medical Physiology. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag. p. 608. ISBN 978-1-58890-572-7.
^Cooke, J. D. (October 1971). "Origin and termination of cuneocerebellar tract". Experimental Brain Research. 13 (4): 339–358. doi:10.1007/bf00234336.
^Fix, James D. (2002). Neuroanatomy. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 133. ISBN 978-0-7817-2829-4.
^http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/NExam.htm
^Ben Greenstein, Adam Greedstein (2000). Color atlas of neuroscience: neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. ISBN 0-86577-710-1.
^ ab"Rostral spinocerebellar tract". The Neuroscience Lexicon. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
Further reading
OSCARSSON, O.; UDDENBERG, N. (1 May 1965). "Properties of Afferent Connections to the Rostral Spinocerebellar Tract in the Cat". Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. 64 (1–2): 143–153. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1716.1965.tb04163.x.
External links
hier-804 at NeuroNames
hier-805 at NeuroNames
hier-793 at NeuroNames - dorsal external arcuate fibers
hier-800 at NeuroNames - cuneocerebellar tract
Anatomyatlases Plate17327
NIF Search - Anterior Spinocerebellar Tract via the Neuroscience Information Framework
v
t
e
The spinal cord
General features
Cervical enlargement
Lumbar enlargement
Conus medullaris
Filum terminale
Cauda equina
Meninges
Central canal
Terminal ventricle
Grey columns
Posterior grey column
Marginal nucleus
Substantia gelatinosa of Rolando
Nucleus proprius
Rexed lamina V
Rexed lamina VI
Lateral grey column
Intermediolateral nucleus
Posterior thoracic nucleus
Anterior grey column
Interneuron
Alpha motor neuron
Onuf's nucleus
Gamma motor neuron
Other
Rexed laminae
Central gelatinous substance
Gray commissure
White matter
Sensory
Posterior
Posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway:
Gracile
Cuneate
Lateral:
Spinocerebellar
dorsal
ventral
Spinothalamic
lateral
anterior
Posterolateral
Spinotectal
Spinoreticular tract
Spino-olivary tract
Motor
Lateral
Corticospinal
Lateral
Extrapyramidal
Rubrospinal
Olivospinal
Raphespinal
Anterior
Corticospinal
Anterior
Extrapyramidal
Vestibulospinal
Reticulospinal
Tectospinal
Both
Anterior white commissure
External features
Ventral
Anterior median fissure
Anterolateral sulcus
Dorsal
Posterior median sulcus
Posterolateral sulcus
v
t
e
Anatomy of the cerebellum
Surface
Lobes
Anterior lobe
Posterior lobe
Horizontal fissure
Flocculonodular lobe
Flocculus
Nodule
Primary fissure
Medial/lateral
Vermis: anterior
Central lobule
Culmen
Lingula
posterior
Folium
Tuber
Uvula
Vallecula of cerebellum
Hemisphere: anterior
Alar central lobule
posterior
Biventer lobule
Cerebellar tonsil
Grey matter
Deep cerebellar nuclei
Dentate
interposed
Emboliform
Globose
Fastigial
Cerebellar cortex
Molecular layer
Stellate cell
Basket cell
Purkinje cell layer
Purkinje cell
Bergmann glia cell = Golgi epithelial cell
Fañanas cell
Granule cell layer
Golgi cell
Granule cell
Unipolar brush cell
Fibers: Mossy fibers
Climbing fiber
Parallel fiber
White matter
Internal
Arbor vitae
Peduncles
Inferior (medulla): Dorsal spinocerebellar tract
Olivocerebellar tract
Cuneocerebellar tract
Juxtarestiform body (Vestibulocerebellar tract)
Trigeminocerebellar fibers
Middle (pons): Pontocerebellar fibers
Superior (midbrain): Ventral spinocerebellar tract
Dentatothalamic tract
v
t
e
Brain and spinal cord: neural tracts and fasciculi
… Other ascending tracts include: The dorsal and ventral spinocerebellartracts carry inputs mediating unconscious proprioception directly to the cerebellum; The spinoreticular tract carries deep pain …
…The primary motor-sensory and sensory–autonomic neuropathies are discussed separately. The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders with different neuropathological … include cerebellar atrophy with neuronal atrophy and astrogliosis and involvement of the corticospinal tracts. Immunohistochemistry reveals the presence of ubiquitin but not beta-tuberculin or beta-amyloid … the peripheral neuropathy appears to be characterized by degeneration of sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglions, and to a lesser extent motor neurons in the anterior horn cells, with little signs …
…evaluation and management of urinary tract injury in gynecologic surgery are reviewed here. Prevention of urinary tract injury and issues related to urinary tract injuries during advanced gynecologic surgery …
… increase the risks of urinary tract injury. Patient positioning in the dorsal lithotomy rather than supine position provides better access for evaluation of the urinary tract with cystoscopy or other methods …
… Along with the dorsal penile nerves and the dorsal vein of the penis, the dorsal arteries form the penile neurovascular bundle.… infectious, inflammatory, anatomic, or malignant pathologies of the prepuce, the glans, and the urinary tract. All of these pathologies may occur at any age of adult life, although circumcision for phimosis, …
Degeneration of the Inferior Cerebellar Peduncle After Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke: Another Perspective on Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis.
Kim JS, Kim SH, Lim SH, Im S, Hong BY, Oh J, Kim Y.
Stroke. 2019 10;50(10)2700-2707.
Background and Purpose- Deafferentation of the cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathway has been proposed as a key mechanism of crossed cerebellar diaschisis. Although the cerebellum receives afferent stimuli from both cortico-ponto-cerebellar and spinocerebellar pathways, evidence on whether spinocerebella
Proprioceptive Recognition with Artificial Neural Networks Based on Organizations of Spinocerebellar Tract and Cerebellum.
Guang H, Ji L.
International journal of neural systems. 2019 Sep;29(7)1850056.
Muscle kinematics and kinetics are nonlinearly encoded by proprioceptors, and the changes in muscle length and velocity are integrated into Ia afferent. Besides, proprioceptive signals from multiple muscles are probably mixed in afferent pathways, which all lead to difficulties in proprioceptive rec
Body lateropulsion（BL）とは，中枢神経系の障害により，筋力が保たれているにも関わらず体幹が不随意に一側に傾いてしまう症候である．BLの責任病巣には，延髄外側，橋，中脳，小脳，上小脳脚・下小脳脚が報告されている．延髄外側病変では，前庭神経核，外側前庭脊髄路，背側脊髄小脳路がBLの責任病巣になりうる．前庭神経核の病変では，通常はBLの他に眼振，回転性眩暈，ocular tilt r …
Proximal-dominant hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy（HMSN-P）である滋賀家系の神経病理所見では，末梢神経の有髄線維の高度脱落に加えて，下位運動ニューロン優位の運動ニューロン疾患の病理像を示した．脊髄前角の高度の細胞脱落とグリオーシス，ubiquitin陽性，TDP-43陽性，TFG陽性封入体の出現，後索中間根帯-Clarke柱-脊 …
Dorsal Spinocerebellar Tract This tract is also known as the posterior spinocerebellar pathway , or “Fleschig’s tract.” Let’s take a look at this route sensory information takes when being sent from the point of stimuli to the brain: the nerves of the DST first flow into the dorsal root ganglion, the first point of synapse and the stop just before entrance to the spinal cord.
The dorsal spinocerebellar tract (Flechsig's tract) is located at the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus, adjacent to the lateral corticospinal tract. It is formed by axons of the ipsilateral dorsal nucleus (Clarke's column), present in T1–L2 segments in humans ( Smith, 1976 ).
The dorsal spinocerebellar tract is located in the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus, superficial to the dorsolateral spinothalamic tract. The cells of origin are the large neurons of the dorsal nucleus (the column of Clarke), deep dorsal horn and laminae 5, 7, 8 ( Matsushita and Hosoya, 1979; Rivero-Melián and Grant, 1990; Matsushita and Gao, 1997; Fu et al. , 2012 ).