Lateral corticospinal tract
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Dinesh Palipana had no recorded disclosures.
View Dinesh Palipana's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Rohit Sharma had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Rohit Sharma's current disclosuresThe lateral corticospinal tract is formed at the level of the of the medullary pyramids when the majority (90%) of descending corticospinal tract fibers decussate. The remaining 10% do not decussate and form the much smaller anterior corticospinal tract. A few non-decussated fibers may enter the lateral corticospinal tract 1,2.
The lateral corticospinal tract descends along the lateral funicular and then lies anterolateral to the dorsal horn. As it descends it deviates to the dorsolateral surface of the spinal cord, with individual fibers leaving the tract to synapse with grey matter motor neurons within the ventral horns. As more fibers leave the corticospinal tract commensurately diminishes in size. At approximately the fourth sacral level, it terminates entirely.
Function
The lateral corticospinal tract mostly mediates fine-motor movement of the upper and lower limbs 3.
Related pathology
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Standring S. Gray's anatomy. Elsevier. ISBN:0808923714. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Last's Anatomy. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:0702033944. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. John Mendoza, Anne Foundas. Clinical Neuroanatomy. ISBN: 9780387366005
Incoming Links
- Corticospinal tract
- Medulla oblongata
- Friedreich ataxia
- White matter tracts of the spinal cord
- Hypomyelination with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and leg spasticity
- Leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation
- Dorsal cord syndrome
- Subacute combined degeneration of the cord
- Spinocerebellar tract
- Anterior corticospinal tract
- Wallerian degeneration
- Brown-Séquard syndrome
- Pons
- Symmetrical cerebral T2 hyperintensities
- Lacunar stroke syndrome
Related articles: Anatomy: Spine
-
osteology
- vertebrae
- spinal canal
- cervical spine
- thoracic spine
- lumbar spine
- sacrum
- coccyx
-
anatomical variants
- vertebral body
- neural arch
- transitional vertebrae
- ossicles
- ossification centers
- intervertebral disc
- articulations
- ligaments
- musculature of the vertebral column
- muscles of the neck
- muscles of the back
-
suboccipital muscle group
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- splenius capitis muscle
- splenius cervicis muscle
- erector spinae group
- transversospinalis group
- quadratus lumborum muscle
-
suboccipital muscle group
- spinal meninges and spaces
-
spinal cord
- gross anatomy
-
white matter tracts (white matter)
- corticospinal tract
- anterolateral columns
- lateral columns
-
dorsal columns
- fasiculus gracilis (column of Goll)
- fasiculus cuneatus (column of Burdach)
- grey matter
- nerve root
- central canal
- functional anatomy
- spinal cord blood supply
- sympathetic chain