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Overview of Descending Pathways

The corticospinal tract originates in the cerebral cortex and descends through the internal capsule, brainstem, and spinal cord. Approximately 85-90% of fibers decussate in the medulla. The crossed fibers synapse directly onto anterior horn cells. Lesions of the upper motor neurons result in increased muscle tone, exaggerated reflexes, and an upgoing plantar reflex. Other motor tracts include the rubrospinal, reticulospinal, tectospinal, and vestibulospinal tracts which originate in the brainstem and terminate on anterior horn cells or the substantia gelatinosa to influence voluntary movement, reflex modulation, and gamma bias.

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Justine Nyangaresi
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96 views21 pages

Overview of Descending Pathways

The corticospinal tract originates in the cerebral cortex and descends through the internal capsule, brainstem, and spinal cord. Approximately 85-90% of fibers decussate in the medulla. The crossed fibers synapse directly onto anterior horn cells. Lesions of the upper motor neurons result in increased muscle tone, exaggerated reflexes, and an upgoing plantar reflex. Other motor tracts include the rubrospinal, reticulospinal, tectospinal, and vestibulospinal tracts which originate in the brainstem and terminate on anterior horn cells or the substantia gelatinosa to influence voluntary movement, reflex modulation, and gamma bias.

Uploaded by

Justine Nyangaresi
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DESCENDING PATHWAYS

Ngwazi Dr. K.O AWORI


CORTICOSPINAL
ORIGIN
• Cerebral cortex
– Primary motor area (30%)

– Premotor area (30%)

– Primary sensory area (40%)


• From layer 5 (inner pyramidal) and especially
from the giant pyramidal cells of Betz
INTO THE CORONA RADIATA
Through posterior limb of INTERNAL
CAPSULE
- Occupies centre of the CRUS CEREBRI
- Some corticonuclei to CIII & CIV leave
Through the BASE of the PONS
Corticonuclei to Cn V, Cn VI, VII, VIII
leave
Enter the PYRAMIDS
Corticonuclei to IX, X XI & XII leave
In medulla, decussation of (about 85-
90%) fibres occurs
DECUSSATION
TERMINATION
• Fibres exit in order: Cervical, thoracic, Lumbar
then sacral.

• Uncrossed cross via an interneuron

• Crossed fibres synapse on the anterior horn


cell directly
LESIONS
upper motor neuron
• MUSCLE BULK: slightly reduced due to disuse

• MUSCLE TONE: High (Hypertonic- clasp knife


rigidity)
• TENDON REFLEXES: Exaggerated

• PLANTAR REFLEX: Up-going/extensor


(Babinski’s sign positive)
RUBROSPINAL
• From red nucleus

• Decussate in ventral tegmental decussation

• Descend as rubrospinal in lateral funiculus

• Terminate on anterior horn cells


RUBROSPINAL
others
Tectospinal
• from the colliculi
• decussate in the dorsal tegmental decussation
• Descend as tectospinal
• Terminate on cervical anterior horn cells
Reticulospinal
• From the reticular formation

• Raphe nuclei, Locus ceruleus

• Terminate on Substantia gelatinosa, AHC etc

• Regulation of pain mechanisms, truncal balance


Vestibulospinal
• From the vestibular nuclei in the pons

• In anterior funiculus

• Control of truncal balance in response to


vestibular and cerebellar output
SUMMARY
Motor systems
CEREBRAL MOTOR CORTEX

THALAMUS
• DT
BASAL GANGLIA
CEREBELLUM

DR RED RETICULAR FORMATION


NUCLEUS TECTUM

FV VESTIBULAR
NUCLEI
VS RS TS CS RS

SPINAL CORD
DESCENDING PATHWAYS
Influences
• Voluntary movements

• Reflex modulation

• Gamma bias
LOWER & UPPER MOTOR NEURON
LESIONS
LOWER MOTOR UPPER MOTOR
MUSCLE YES NO
WASTING
MUSCLE TONE LOW (HYPERTONIA
(HYPOTONIA) Clasp-knife)
DEEP TENDON REDUCED/ABSENT HYPERREFLEXIA
REFLEXES
• GRACIAS

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