Ascending Sensory Pathways

Question 1

What type of information does the spinothalamic tract carry?

Answer 1

Crude touch, temperature, pressure and pain

Question 2

Which sensory tract uses thin, poorly myelinated axons?

Answer 2

Spinothalamic

Question 3

Which sensory tract uses thick, well myelinated axons?

Answer 3

Dorsal column

Question 4

Does the spinothalamic pathway use fast or slow conduction?

Answer 4

Slow

Question 5

Does the spinothalamic pathway run contralaterally or ipsilaterally in the spinal cord?

Answer 5

Contralaterally

Question 6

Where do the primary neurons of the spinothalamic tract synapse?

Answer 6

Dorsal grey horn

Question 7

Where do the secondary neurons of spinothalamic tract cross the midline?

Answer 7

Ventral white commissure (just anterior to central canal)

Question 8

What is the spinothalamic tract called when it reaches the brainstem?

Answer 8

Spinal lemniscus

Question 9

Where does the secondary neuron of the spinothalamic tract synapse?

Answer 9

Ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus

Question 10

What information passes through the medial VPL of the thalamus?

Answer 10

Sensory information from arm

Question 11

What information passes through lateral VPL of the thalamus?

Answer 11

Sensory information from leg

Question 12

Where do tertiary neurons of the spinothalamic tract terminate?

Answer 12

Primary somatosensory cortex

Question 13

What type of information does the dorsal column pathway carry?

Answer 13

Discriminative touch, vibration and proprioception

Question 14

Does the dorsal column pathway use fast or slow conduction?

Answer 14

Fast

Question 15

Does the dorsal column pathway run contralaterally or ipsilaterally in the spinal cord?

Answer 15

Ipsilaterally

Question 16

Where does the dorsal column pathway ascend in the spinal cord?

Answer 16

Ipsilateral gracile or cuneate fascicle

Question 17

In the medulla, what are the gracile and cuneate fascicles renamed to?

Answer 17

Gracile and cuneate tubercles

Question 18

Where do the primary neurons in the dorsal column pathway synapse?

Answer 18

Gracile/cuneate tubercle

Question 19

Where do the secondary neurones of the dorsal column pathway cross the midline?

Answer 19

Internal arcuate fibres in medulla

Question 20

Where do the secondary neurons of the dorsal column pathway ascend?

Answer 20

Medial lemniscus

Question 21

Where do the secondary neurons of the dorsal column pathway synapse?

Answer 21

Ventral posterolateral nucleus of thalamus

Question 22

Where do the tertiary neurons of dorsal column pathway project to?

Answer 22

Primary somatosensory cortex

Question 23

In which pathway does sensation from the head travel?

Answer 23

Trigeminothalamic pathway

Question 24

What facial sensation does trigeminal nerve carry?

Answer 24

General sensory from face, scalp and dura

Question 25

What facial sensation travels in facial nerve?

Answer 25

External ear sensation

Question 26

What facial sensation travels in glossopharyngeal nerve?

Answer 26

Sensation from posterior 1/3 of tongue, pharynx and middle ear

Question 27

What facial sensation travels in vagus nerve?

Answer 27

Sensation from auditory canal, larynx, pharynx and oesophagus

Question 28

What are the subdivisions of the trigeminal nucleus?

Answer 28

Mesencephalic, pontine/principal sensory and spinal

Question 29

Which part of the trigeminal nucleus receives pain and temperature?

Answer 29

Caudal part of spinal nucleus

Question 30

Which part of the trigeminal nucleus receives simple touch and pressure?

Answer 30

Rostral part of spinal nucleus

Question 31

Which part of the trigeminal nucleus receives discriminative touch?

Answer 31

Pontine/principal sensory nucleus

Question 32

Which part of the trigeminal nucleus receives proprioception?

Answer 32

Mesencephalic nucleus

Question 33

In which pathways do the axons descend before ascending?

Answer 33

Trigeminothalamic

• pain and temperature
• touch and pressure

Question 34

Where do fibres in the trigeminothalamic pathway descend?

Answer 34

Spinal tract

Question 35

Where does information travelling in the trigeminothalamic pathway go to in the thalamus?

Answer 35

Ventral posteromedial nucleus

Question 36

In which trigeminothalamic pathway are the primary neuron cell bodies not in their respective cranial nerve ganglia?

Answer 36

Proprioception pathway - cell bodies in mesencephalic nucleus

Question 37

What reflex is associated with the proprioception pathway of the trigeminothalamic tract?

Answer 37

Jaw jerk reflex