Lateral corticospinal tract
Encyclopedia
The lateral corticospinal tract (also called the crossed pyramidal tract or lateral cerebrospinal fasciculus) is the largest part of the corticospinal tract
. It extends throughout the entire length of the medulla spinalis, and on transverse section appears as an oval area in front of the posterior column
and medial to the posterior spinocerebellar tract.
Its fibres arise from cells in the motor area of the cerebral hemisphere
of the opposite side.
They pass downward in company with those of the anterior corticospinal tract
through the same side of the brain as that from which they originate, but they cross to the opposite side in the medulla oblongata
and descend in the lateral funiculus
of the medulla spinalis.
The lateral corticospinal tract controls movement of ipsilateral limbs(albeit contralateral to the coresponding motor cortex) as it lies distal to the pyramidal decussation. Control of more central axial and girdle muscles comes from the anterior corticospinal tract
.
Corticospinal tract
The corticospinal or pyramidal tract is a collection of axons that travel between the cerebral cortex of the brain and the spinal cord....
. It extends throughout the entire length of the medulla spinalis, and on transverse section appears as an oval area in front of the posterior column
Posterior column
thumb | right | Cross-section of the spinal cord Posterior column or dorsal column refers to the area of white matter in the dorsomedial side of the spinal cord. It is made up of the fasciculus gracilis and fasciculus cuneatus and itself is part of the dorsal funiculus...
and medial to the posterior spinocerebellar tract.
Its fibres arise from cells in the motor area of the cerebral hemisphere
Cerebral hemisphere
A cerebral hemisphere is one of the two regions of the eutherian brain that are delineated by the median plane, . The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres. Each of these hemispheres has an outer layer of grey matter called the cerebral cortex that is...
of the opposite side.
They pass downward in company with those of the anterior corticospinal tract
Anterior corticospinal tract
The anterior corticospinal tract is a small bundle of descending fibers that connect the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord...
through the same side of the brain as that from which they originate, but they cross to the opposite side in the medulla oblongata
Medulla oblongata
The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem. In discussions of neurology and similar contexts where no ambiguity will result, it is often referred to as simply the medulla...
and descend in the lateral funiculus
Lateral funiculus
The most lateral of the bundles of the anterior nerve roots is generally taken as a dividing line that separates the antero-lateral region into two parts, viz., an anterior funiculus, between the anterior median fissure and the most lateral of the anterior nerve roots; and a lateral funiculus,...
of the medulla spinalis.
The lateral corticospinal tract controls movement of ipsilateral limbs(albeit contralateral to the coresponding motor cortex) as it lies distal to the pyramidal decussation. Control of more central axial and girdle muscles comes from the anterior corticospinal tract
Anterior corticospinal tract
The anterior corticospinal tract is a small bundle of descending fibers that connect the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord...
.