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| corticobulbar tract | <physiology> Collective term for those fibres (corticonuclear fibres) which separate from the corticospinal tract in the course of the latter's descent through the pons and medulla oblongata. Fibres of this tract innervate the motor nuclei of the trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal nerves (perhaps also the nucleus ambiguus), directly and by way of interneurons in the lateral part of the rhombencephalic tegmentum. No direct supranuclear cortical innervation of the motor nuclei innervating the external eye muscles (oculomotor, trochlear, abducens) has been identified. Fibres of the corticobulbar tract also project into the formatio reticularis (i.e., corticoreticular fibres) and terminate upon sensory relay nuclei (e.g., gracile and cuneate nuclei, nucleus spinalis trigeminalis and nucleus solitarius). Synonym: tractus corticobulbaris. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| corticopontine tract | <anatomy, physiology> Collective term for the multitude of fibres which, originating in all of the major subdivisions of the cerebral cortex, descend in the internal capsule and crus cerebri to terminate in the nuclei of the ventral part of the pons. Individual components of this massive fibre system are indicated, according to their origin in the cerebral cortex, as the frontopontine tract, parietopontine tract, occipitopontine tract, and temporopontine tract. Synonym: tractus corticopontini. (05 Mar 2000) |
| corticospinal tract | A massive bundle of fibres originating from pyramidal cells of various sizes in the fifth layer of the precentral motor (area 4), the premotor area (area 6), and to a lesser extent from the postcentral gyrus. Cells of origin in area 4 include the gigantopyramidal cells of Betz. Fibres from these cortical regions descend through the internal capsule, the middle third of the crus cerebri, and the ventral part of the pons to emerge on the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata as the pyramis. Continuing caudally, most of the fibres cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord as the lateral pyramidal tract, which distributes its fibres throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. In the (extremity-related) spinal cord enlargements, fibres also pass directly to motoneuronal groups that innervate distal extremity muscles subserving particular hand-and-finger or foot-and-toe movements. The uncrossed fibres form a small bundle, the anterior pyramidal tract, which descends in the anterior funiculus of the spinal cord and terminates in synaptic contact with interneurons in the medial half of the anterior horn on both sides of the spinal cord. Interruption of the pyramidal tract at or below its cortical origin causes impairment of movement in the opposite body-half, especially severe in the arm and leg; characterised by muscular weakness, spasticity and hyperreflexia, and a loss of discrete finger and hand movements. Babinski's sign is associated with this condition of hemiplegia. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis, tractus pyramidalis, corticospinal tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| habenulointerpeduncular tract | A compact bundle of fibres arising in the habenula and passing ventralward to the interpeduncular nucleus at the base of the midbrain; part of its fibres bypass this nucleus and terminate in the raphe nuclei of the caudal mesencephalic tegmentum. Synonym: fasciculus retroflexus, habenulointerpeduncular tract, Meynert's fasciculus, Meynert's retroflex bundle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| habenulopeduncular tract | habenulopeduncular tract |
| crossed pyramidal tract | Those fibres of the pyramidal tract that cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord; they are distributed throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. See: pyramidal tract. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis lateralis, tractus pyramidalis lateralis, crossed pyramidal tract, fasciculus corticospinalis lateralis, fasciculus pyramidalis lateralis, lateral corticospinal tract, lateral pyramidal fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| posterior spinocerebellar tract | A compact bundle of heavily myelinated, thick fibres at the periphery of the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord, originating in the ipsilateral thoracic nucleus (column of Clarke) and ascending by way of the inferior cerebellar peduncle. Terminals end as mossy fibres in the granular layer of the cortex of the cerebellar vermis. The bundle conveys largely proprioceptive information originating from the annulospiral nerve endings surrounding muscle spindles and from Golgi tendon organs. Synonym: tractus spinocerebellaris posterior, Flechsig's tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cuneocerebellar tract | The nerve fibre system originating from the accessory cuneate nucleus and entering the cerebellum as a component of the restiform body, the larger part of the inferior cerebellar peduncle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pregnancy danger from urinary tract infection | A pregnant woman who develops a uti should be treated promptly to avoid premature delivery of her baby and other risks such as high blood pressure. Some antibiotics are not safe to take during pregnancy. In selecting the best treatment, doctors consider various factors such as the drug's effectiveness, the stage of pregnancy, the mother's health, and potential effects on the foetus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| prepyramidal tract | A somatotopically organised fibre bundle, relatively small in humans, arising from the red nucleus, immediately crossing in the ventral tegmental decussation, descending near the lateral surface of the brainstem into the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord at the ventral border of the lateral pyramidal tract. It terminates in the zona intermedia of the spinal cord where its distribution coincides with that of the lateral pyramidal tract; in contrast to the latter it appears not to have direct connections with spinal motor neurons. Impulses conveyed by this tract indirectly increase flexor muscle tone. Synonym: tractus rubrospinalis, Monakow's bundle, Monakow's tract, prepyramidal tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Hoche's tract | A compact bundle composed of descending branches of posterior root fibres located near the border between the fasciculi gracilis and cuneatus of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord; it corresponds to the septomarginal fasciculus, Hoche's tract, or oval area of Flechsig in the lumbar, and to the triangle of Philippe-Gombault in the sacral spinal segments; like these, it can be demonstrated only in cases of demyelination resulting from dorsal root lesions. Synonym: fasciculus semilunaris, fasciculus interfascicularis, comma bundle of Schultze, comma tract of Schultze, interfascicular fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sensory tract | See: lemniscus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| septomarginal tract | See: semilunar fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pyramidal tract | A massive bundle of fibres originating from pyramidal cells of various sizes in the fifth layer of the precentral motor (area 4), the premotor area (area 6), and to a lesser extent from the postcentral gyrus. Cells of origin in area 4 include the gigantopyramidal cells of Betz. Fibres from these cortical regions descend through the internal capsule, the middle third of the crus cerebri, and the ventral part of the pons to emerge on the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata as the pyramis. Continuing caudally, most of the fibres cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord as the lateral pyramidal tract, which distributes its fibres throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. In the (extremity-related) spinal cord enlargements, fibres also pass directly to motoneuronal groups that innervate distal extremity muscles subserving particular hand-and-finger or foot-and-toe movements. The uncrossed fibres form a small bundle, the anterior pyramidal tract, which descends in the anterior funiculus of the spinal cord and terminates in synaptic contact with interneurons in the medial half of the anterior horn on both sides of the spinal cord. Interruption of the pyramidal tract at or below its cortical origin causes impairment of movement in the opposite body-half, especially severe in the arm and leg; characterised by muscular weakness, spasticity and hyperreflexia, and a loss of discrete finger and hand movements. Babinski's sign is associated with this condition of hemiplegia. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis, tractus pyramidalis, corticospinal tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hypothalamohypophysial tract | A bundle of unmyelinated fibres originating from all cells of the supraoptic nucleus and an estimated 20% of those of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, which extend through the infundibulum and pituitary stalk to their endings in the posterior lobe of the hypophysis; the fibres convey neurosecretory substances, vasopressin and oxytocin, which are stored in (and can be released into the circulating blood from) their terminals. See: hypophysis, neurosecretion. Synonym: tractus supraopticohypophysialis, hypothalamohypophysial tract. (05 Mar 2000) |