Anterior funiculus

The anterior funiculus (anterior white column)-on the right and the left sides-is the portion of white matter which is located between the anterolateral sulcus, where the anterior nerve rootlets emerge, and the anterior median fissure of the spinal cord.

The anterior funiculus comprises ascending and descending white matter tracts. The ascending tracts are sensory, such as the anterior spinothalamic tract, which conveys sensations of light touch and pressure to the thalamus. The descending tracts are motor in nature, including upper motor neurons that synapse with alpha and gamma motor neurons in the anterior gray horns, thus modulating spinal reflex arcs. Notable descending tracts in the anterior funiculus include the anterior corticospinal tract, which regulates muscle tone and movements of the axial or truncal musculature, and the tectospinal tract, contributing to spinovisual reflexes by coordinating neck movements towards visual stimuli. Additional descending pathways include the vestibulospinal and pontine reticulospinal tracts, originating from the vestibular nuclei and pontine reticular formation, respectively.

The anterior funiculus also contains descending autonomic fibers, such as hypothalamospinal tracts—components of the reticulospinal system—arising from the hypothalamus to regulate the sympathetic and parasympathetic neuronal outputs.