sensory examination : anatomy ; Spinothalamic

Spinothalamic
The anatomical pathways for the 2 major sensory systems is as follows:
ST- the axons from the 1st order neuron located in the dorsal root ganglion enter the dorsal root entry zone and within several segments synapse with 2nd order neurons in the dorsal horn. Axons from the 2nd order neuron cross immediately via the ventral white commissure to the anterolateral quadrant of the spinal cord then ascend as the spinothalamic tract to the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus. The axons of the 3rd order neurons project to the postcentral gyrus or somatosensory cortex (there are also projections to the insular and anterior cingulate cortex but we are mainly focusing on the primary somatosensory cortex).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Spinothalamic
• VPL
• postcentral gyrus
• thalamus
• Axons
• sensory systems
• primary somatosensory cortex