Fasciculus lateralis

Fasciculus lateralis is a term used in anatomy to describe a bundle of nerve fibers, or axons, that run laterally, or to the side, in the spinal cord. This term is often used in the context of the spinothalamic tract, a part of the nervous system that is involved in transmitting pain and temperature sensations from the body to the brain.

Structure

The fasciculus lateralis is located in the lateral column of the spinal cord, which is one of the three main regions of white matter in the spinal cord. The other two regions are the fasciculus anterior and the fasciculus posterior. The lateral column is located between the anterior and posterior columns, and it contains several important tracts, including the spinothalamic tract and the corticospinal tract.

Function

The fasciculus lateralis is involved in transmitting sensory information from the body to the brain. Specifically, it is part of the spinothalamic tract, which carries pain and temperature sensations. When these types of sensory information are received by the body, they are transmitted via nerve fibers in the fasciculus lateralis to the thalamus, a region of the brain that processes and relays sensory information.

Clinical significance

Damage to the fasciculus lateralis can result in a loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite side of the body. This is because the nerve fibers in the spinothalamic tract cross over to the opposite side of the spinal cord before they reach the brain. This condition is known as contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation.

See also

• Spinal cord
• Spinothalamic tract
• Thalamus
• Nervous system