Spinothalamic tract

Definition

The spinothalamic tract is a major sensory pathway within the central nervous system that conveys pain, temperature, and crude touch sensations from the body to the brain. It consists of nerve fibers that ascend from the spinal cord to the thalamus, where these sensory signals are then relayed to the cerebral cortex for processing.

Related terms

Sensory Neurons: Nerve cells that transmit sensory information (like pain and temperature) from the outer parts of your body towards the central nervous system.

Thalamus:

A part of the brain that acts as a relay station for transmitting sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex.

Cerebral Cortex:

The outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain, involved in higher brain functions such as sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory