anterolateral system

Definition: a composite bundle of fibers, located in the ventrolateral part of the lateral funiculus, containing spinothalamic, spinohypothalamic, spinoreticular, and spinomesencephalic (spinotectal, or spinal to periaqueductal gray) fibers; occupies the combined areas of the spinal white matter historically divided into anterior and lateral spinothalamic tracts; located in white matter ventral to the denticulate ligament, hence the anatomic basis for the anterolateral cordotomy; concerned with the transmission of nociceptive and thermal information and with crude (nondiscriminative) touch.

Synonym(s): lemniscus spinalisTA, spinal lemniscusTA, tractus anterolateralesTA, anterolateral tract

See Also: spinothalamic tract

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