Lateral reticulospinal tract
Tractus reticulospinalis lateralis
- Latin synonym: Tractus bulboreticulospinalis
- Synonym: Bulboreticulospinal tract; Medullary reticulospinal tract
- Related terms: Bulboreticulospinal tract; Medullary reticulospinal tract; Lateral reticulospinal tract
Definition
The lateral reticulospinal tract originates from the medullary reticular formation in the medulla oblongata. Its fibers, both crossed and uncrossed, descends through the lateral white column of the spinal cord. This tract modulates voluntary movement and reflex activity by acting on the alpha and gamma motor neurons in the anterior gray horns of spinal cord.
The reticulospinal fibers are believed to include descending autonomic fibers, forming a critical pathway through which the hypothalamus regulates both sympathetic and sacral parasympathetic outflows.
References
Snell, R.S. (2010). ‘Chapter 4: The Spinal Cord and the Ascending and Descending Tracts’, in Clinical Neuroanatomy. (7th ed.) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp. 157-158.
