Ventral spinocerebellar tract

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Ventral spinocerebellar tract

Ventral spinocerebellar tract is 4b, in blue at right.

Diagram of the principal fasciculi of the spinal cord. (Ventral spinocerebellar fasciculus visible at center left.)
Latin	tractus spinocerebellaris anterior, tractus spinocerebellaris ventralis
Gray's	subject #185 761
Dorlands/Elsevier	t_15/12817184

The ventral spinocerebellar tract conveys proprioceptive information from the body to the cerebellum. It is part of the somatosensory system and runs in parallel with the dorsal spinocerebellar tract. Both these tracts involve two neurons and end up on the same side of the body.

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 bilateral 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 the Clarke's nuclei (only at the level of C8 - L2/L3). They enter the cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle.

Comparison with dorsal spinocerebellar tract

When the dorsal roots are cut in a cat performing a step cycle, the dorsal spinocerebellar tract has no activity with the loss of peripheral excitation, whereas the ventral spinocerebellar continues to show activity, implying that the dorsal spinocerebellar tract provides the spinocerebellum with sensory information during movement and the ventral spinocerebellar tract internally generated information about the movement. (Kandal , Schwartz and Jessell)

Synonyms

anterior spinocerebellar tract
Gowers' column
Gowers' fasciculus
Gowers' tract (named after Sir William Richard Gowers)

Additional images

Decussation of pyramids.
Superficial dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.
Deep dissection of brain-stem. Lateral view.

External links

NeuroNames hier-805
anterior+spinocerebellar+tract at eMedicine Dictionary

v • d • e

Anatomy of torso (primarily): the spinal cord

Spinal nerve

Dorsal (Root, Ganglion, Ramus) • Ventral (Root, Ramus) • Sympathetic trunk • rami communicantes (Gray, White)

Gray matter/Rexed laminae

Posterior horn (Posteromarginal nucleus, Column of Clarke, Substantia gelatinosa of Rolando, Nucleus proprius)

Lateral horn/Anterior horn (Intermediolateral nucleus)

Central canal/Substantia gelatinosa centralis - Gray commissure

White matter

somatic/ascending (blue)	Posterior/PCML: touch: Gracilis • Cuneatus Lateral: proprioception: Spinocerebellar (Dorsal, Ventral) • pain/temp: Spinothalamic (Lateral, Anterior) • Posterolateral (Lissauer) • Spinotectal
motor/descending (red)	Lateral: Corticospinal (Lateral) • Ep (Rubrospinal, Olivospinal) Anterior: Corticospinal (Anterior) • Ep (Vestibulospinal, Reticulospinal, Tectospinal)

Layers

Epidural space • Dura mater • Subdural space • Arachnoid mater • Subarachnoid space • Pia mater

Other structures

Denticulate ligaments • Conus medullaris • Cauda equina • Filum terminale • Cervical enlargement • Lumbar enlargement

Anterior median fissure • Posterior median sulcus

Anterior white commissure

v • d • e Brain: rhombencephalon (hindbrain)
Myelencephalon/medulla	anterior/ventral: Arcuate nucleus of medulla • Pyramid (Decussation) • Olivary body • Inferior olivary nucleus • Anterior median fissure • Ventral respiratory group posterior/dorsal: VII,IX,X: Solitary/tract • XII, X: Dorsal • IX,X,XI: Ambiguus • IX: Inferior salivatory nucleus • Gracile nucleus/Cuneate nucleus/Accessory cuneate nucleus • Area postrema • Posterior median sulcus • Dorsal respiratory group raphe/reticular: Sensory decussation • Reticular formation (Gigantocellular nucleus, Parvocellular reticular nucleus, Ventral reticular nucleus, Lateral reticular nucleus, Paramedian reticular nucleus) • Raphe nuclei (Obscurus, Magnus, Pallidus) tracts: Corticospinal tract (Lateral, Anterior) • Inferior cerebellar peduncle • Olivocerebellar tract • Spinocerebellar (Dorsal, Ventral) • Spinothalamic tract • PCML (Posterior external arcuate fibers, Internal arcuate fibers, Medial lemniscus) • Extrapyramidal (Rubrospinal tract, Vestibulospinal tract, Tectospinal tract)
Metencephalon/pons	anterior/ventral: Superior olivary nucleus • Basis pontis (Pontine nuclei, Middle cerebellar peduncles) posterior/dorsal: Pontine tegmentum (Trapezoid body, Superior medullary velum, Locus ceruleus, MLF, Vestibulocerebellar tract, V Principal Spinal & Motor, VI, VII, VII: Superior salivary nucleus) • VIII-c (Dorsal, Anterior)/VIII-v (Lateral, Superior, Medial, Inferior) raphe/reticular: Reticular formation (Caudal pontine reticular nucleus, Oral pontine reticular nucleus, Tegmental pontine reticular nucleus, Paramedian pontine reticular formation) • Median raphe nucleus Apneustic center • Pneumotaxic center
Metencephalon/cerebellum	Vermis • Flocculus • Arbor vitae • Cerebellar tonsil • Inferior medullary velum Molecular layer (Stellate cell, Basket cell, Parallel fiber) • Purkinje cell layer (Purkinje cell) • Granule cell layer (Golgi cell) • Mossy fibers • Climbing fiber Deep cerebellar nuclei (Dentate, Emboliform, Globose, Fastigial)
Fourth ventricle	apertures (Median, Lateral) • Rhomboid fossa (Vagal trigone, Hypoglossal trigone, Obex, Sulcus limitans, Facial colliculus, Medial eminence) • Lateral recess