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Vestibulospinal tract
Medulla spinalis - tracts - English
Vestibulospinal tract is 2c, in red at bottom center.
Latin tractus vestibulospinalis
Gray's subject #185 760
System
MeSH [1]
Gray672
Diagram of the principal fasciculi of the spinal cord. (Vestibulospinal fasciculus labeled at bottom right.)

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.

Parts[]

One part of the vestibulospinal tract project bilaterally down the spinal cord and triggers the cervical spinal circuits, controlling a right position of the head and neck.

The second part of the vestibulospinal tract projects ipsilateral down to the lumbar region. There it helps to maintain an upright and balanced posture by stimulating extensor motor neurons in the legs.

External links[]

Spinal cord

epidural space, dura mater, subdural space, arachnoid mater, subarachnoid space, pia mater, denticulate ligaments, conus medullaris, cauda equina, filum terminale, cervical enlargement, lumbar enlargement, anterior median fissure, dorsal root, dorsal root ganglion, dorsal ramus, ventral root, ventral ramus, sympathetic trunk, gray ramus communicans, white ramus communicans

grey matter: central canal, substantia gelatinosa of Rolando, reticular formation, substantia gelatinosa centralis, interneuron, anterior horn, lateral horn, posterior horn (column of Clarke, dorsal spinocerebellar tract)

white matter: anterior funiculus: descending (anterior corticospinal tract, vestibulospinal fasciculus, tectospinal tract), ascending (anterior spinothalamic tract, anterior proper fasciculus)

lateral funiculus: descending (lateral corticospinal tract, rubrospinal tract, olivospinal tract), ascending dorsal spinocerebellar tract, ventral spinocerebellar tract, spinothalamic tract, lateral spinothalamic tract, anterior spinothalamic tract, spinotectal tract, posterolateral tract, lateral proper fasciculus, medial longitudinal fasciculus

posterior funiculus: fasciculus gracilis, fasciculus cuneatus, posterior proper fasciculus


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