Vestibulospinal tract: Definition from Answers.com

Brain: Vestibulospinal tract

Vestibulospinal tract is 2c, in red at bottom center.

Diagram of the principal fasciculi of the spinal cord. (Vestibulospinal fasciculus labeled at bottom right.)
Latin	tractus vestibulospinalis
Gray's	subject #185 760
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_1643

The vestibulospinal tract is one of the descending spinal tracts of the ventromedial pathway. It originates from the vestibular nuclei of the medulla, which conducts information from the vestibular labyrinth in the inner ear.

Motion of fluid in the vestibular labyrinth activates hair cells that signal the vestibular nuclei via cranial nerve VIII.

Function

Lateral vestibulospinal tract: Facilitates extensor (antigravity) muscle tone and equilibrium.

Medial vestibulospinal tract: Yokes CN III, IV, VI in eye movements; controlling head and neck position (movement) and gaze control

External links

Diagram at etsu.edu
Overview at wustl.edu
Brainstem at UWisc 13VNAN

This neuroscience article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Anatomy of torso (primarily): the spinal cord (TA 14.1.02, GA 9.749)

External, dorsal

Posterior median sulcus · Posterolateral sulcus

Grey matter/
Rexed laminae

I-VI: Posterior horn	I: Marginal nucleus · II: Substantia gelatinosa of Rolando · III+IV: Nucleus proprius · Spinal lamina V · Spinal lamina VI

VII: Lateral horn	Intermediolateral nucleus · Posterior thoracic nucleus

VIII-IX: Anterior horn	Interneuron · Alpha motor neuron (Onuf's nucleus)

X: Other	Central gelatinous substance · Gray commissure Central canal

White matter

somatic/ ascending (blue)	Posterior/PCML: touch: Gracile · Cuneate Lateral: proprioception: Spinocerebellar (Dorsal, Ventral) · pain/temp: Spinothalamic (Lateral, Anterior) · Posterolateral (Lissauer) · Spinotectal Spinoreticular tract · Spino-olivary tract

motor/ descending (red)	Lateral: Corticospinal (Lateral) · Ep (Rubrospinal, Olivospinal) Anterior: Corticospinal (Anterior) · Ep (Vestibulospinal, Reticulospinal, Tectospinal)

both	Anterior white commissure

External, ventral

Anterior median fissure

External, general

Cervical enlargement · Lumbar enlargement · Conus medullaris · Filum terminale · Cauda equina

Human brain: rhombencephalon, myelencephalon: medulla (TA A14.1.04, GA 9.767)

Dorsal

Surface	Posterior median sulcus · Posterolateral sulcus · Area postrema · Vagal trigone · Hypoglossal trigone · Medial eminence

Grey: Cranial nuclei	afferent: GVA: VII,IX,X: Solitary/tract/Dorsal respiratory group · SVA: Gustatory nucleus efferent: GSE: XII · GVE: IX,X,XI: Ambiguus · SVE: X: Dorsal · IX: Inferior salivatory nucleus

Grey: other	Gracile nucleus · Cuneate nucleus (Accessory cuneate nucleus)

White: Sensory/ascending	Sensory decussation · Medial lemniscus · Inferior cerebellar peduncle (Juxtarestiform body) · Ascending dorsal longitudinal fasciculus · MLF, III, IV and VI

White: Motor/descending	Descending dorsal longitudinal fasciculus · MLF, III, IV and VI

Ventral

White: Motor/descending	Motor decussation · Olivocerebellar tract · Rubro-olivary tract

Grey matter	Ventral respiratory group · Arcuate nucleus of medulla · Inferior olivary nucleus

Surface	Anterior median fissure · Antero-lateral sulcus · Olive · Pyramid

Grey: Raphe/
reticular

Reticular formation (Gigantocellular, Parvocellular, Ventral, Lateral, Paramedian) · Raphe nuclei (Obscurus, Magnus, Pallidus)

Human brain, rhombencephalon, metencephalon: pons (TA A14.1.05.101-604, GA 9.785)

Dorsal/
(tegmentum)

Surface	Cerebellopontine angle · Superior medullary velum · Sulcus limitans · Medial eminence · Facial colliculus

White: Sensory/ascending	Trapezoid body/VIII · Trigeminal lemniscus (Dorsal trigeminal tract, Ventral trigeminal tract) · Medial lemniscus · Lateral lemniscus MLF, III, IV and VI: Vestibulo-oculomotor fibers Anterior trigeminothalamic tract · Central tegmental tract

White: Motor/descending	ICP (Vestibulocerebellar tract) MLF, III, IV and VI: Vestibulospinal tract (Medial vestibulospinal tract, Lateral vestibulospinal tract)

Grey: Cranial nuclei	afferent: GSA: Principal V/Spinal V · VIII-c (Dorsal, Anterior)/VIII-v (Lateral, Superior, Medial, Inferior) efferent: SVE: Motor V · VII · GSE: VI · GVE: VII: Superior salivary nucleus

Other grey	Apneustic center · Pneumotaxic center (Medial parabrachial nucleus) · Lateral parabrachial nucleus · Superior olivary nucleus · Caerulean nucleus

Ventral/
(base)

Grey	Pontine nuclei

White: Motor/descending	Corticospinal tract · Corticobulbar tract · Corticopontine fibers MCP (Pontocerebellar fibers)

Surface	Basilar sulcus

Other grey: Raphe/
reticular

Reticular formation (Caudal, Oral, Tegmental, Paramedian) · Raphe nuclei (Median)

Brain and spinal cord: neural tracts and fasciculi

Sensory/ascending

PCML	1°: Pacinian corpuscle/Meissner's corpuscle → Gracile fasciculus/Cuneate fasciculus → Gracile nucleus/Cuneate nucleus 2°: → sensory decussation/arcuate fibers (Posterior external arcuate fibers, Internal arcuate fibers) → Medial lemniscus/Trigeminal lemniscus → Thalamus (VPL, VPM) 3°: → Posterior limb of internal capsule → Postcentral gyrus

Anterolateral	Free nerve ending → Spinothalamic tract (Lateral, Anterior) → Spinal lemniscus → Thalamus → Postcentral gyrus Spinoreticular tract → Reticular formation Spinotectal tract → Midbrain tectum

Motor/descending

Pyramidal	flexion: Primary motor cortex → Posterior limb of internal capsule → Decussation of the pyramids → Corticospinal tract (Lateral, Anterior) → Neuromuscular junction

Extrapyramidal	flexion: Primary motor cortex → Genu of internal capsule → Corticobulbar tract → Facial motor nucleus → Facial muscles flexion: Red nucleus → Rubrospinal tract extension: Vestibulocerebellum → Vestibular nuclei → Vestibulospinal tract extension: Vestibulocerebellum → Reticular formation → Reticulospinal tract Midbrain tectum → Tectospinal tract → muscles of neck

Basal ganglia	direct: Motor cortex → Striatum → GPi → Subthalamic fasciculus → Thalamus → Motor cortex indirect: Motor cortex → Striatum → GPe → Subthalamic nucleus → GPi → Subthalamic fasciculus → Thalamus → Motor cortex nigrostriatal pathway: Pars compacta → Striatum

Bidirectional:
Spinocerebellar

Unconscious proprioception: Golgi tendon organ → Spinocerebellar (Dorsal/Posterior thoracic nucleus, Cuneocerebellar) → Cerebellum
Reflex arc: Ventral - Rostral

Brain only

Medial longitudinal fasciculus

Vestibular nucleus → Vestibulocerebellar tract → Cerebellum

Pontine nuclei → Pontocerebellar fibers → Deep cerebellar nuclei

Inferior olivary nucleus → Olivocerebellar tract → Cerebellar hemisphere

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