Medial reticulospinal tract
Tractus reticulospinalis medialis
- Latin synonym: Tractus pontoreticulospinalis
- Synonym: Pontoreticulospinal tract
- Related terms: Pontoreticulospinal tract; Medial reticulospinal tract
Definition
Medial reticulospinal tract (a.k.a. pontine reticulospinal tract) extends from the reticular formation in the pons to anterior horns of spinal cord.
The reticular formation refers to a meshwork of nerve cells and fibers situated throughout the brainstem. The medial reticulospinal tract originates from the medial or pontine reticular formation. It descends uncrossed in the anterior funiculus (or anterior white column) to reach the anterior horns of spinal cord, where they facilitate the activity of alpha and gamma motor neuron cell bodies.
Some descending autonomic fibers from hypothalamus also descend within the reticulospinal fibers to control the thoracolumbar sympathetic outflow and the parasympathetic sacral outflow.
References
Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2022 IMAIOS.
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.
Sengul, G. and Watson, C. (2012). ‘Chapter 7: Spinal Cord: Connections’, in The Human Nervous System. (3rd ed.), Editor(s): K Mai, J. and Paxinos, G. Academic Press, pp. 233-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374236-0.10007-0
