Spinothalamic tracts
The spinothalamic tracts are ascending pathways in the spinal cord primarily concerned with sensory function. They are responsible for transmitting pain, temperature, coarse (non-discriminative) touch and pressure sensations .
Unlike other tracts main spinal tracts, the spinothalamic tracts decussate in the spinal cord itself and account for the pattern of deficit encountered in cord hemisection (Brown-Sequard syndrome).
First-order neurons, whose cell bodies are in the dorsal root ganglion, and whose axons extend from peripheral receptors, synapse with second-order neurons located in the ipsilateral dorsal horn of the cord. These second-order neurons cross to the contralateral side of the cord in the anterior spinal commissure and form the spinothalamic tracts .
The spinothalamic tract is divided into lateral and anterior tracts, which are discussed separately :
