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Related Concept Videos

Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Direct Motor Pathways01:11

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy01:16

Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy

The cross-sectional anatomy of the spinal cord offers a detailed view of its complex structure and function within the central nervous system. At the core of the spinal cord lies the gray matter, characterized by its butterfly or "H"-shaped appearance in cross-section. This central region is enveloped by white matter, with the overall structure divided into symmetrical halves by the dorsal median sulcus and the ventral median fissure.
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
11:31

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks

Published on: December 5, 2014

Sensorimotor function and sensorimotor tracts after hemispherectomy.

Julia T Choi1, Eileen P G Vining, Susumu Mori

  • 1The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. julia.choi@jhu.edu

Neuropsychologia
|December 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early hemispherectomy surgery in children with severe unilateral brain disease may improve sensorimotor function recovery. Age at surgery impacts brainstem motor pathway anatomy and functional outcomes.

Keywords:
Fugl-Meyer assessmentcorticospinal tractdiffusion tensor imagingdorsal column medial lemniscal tractvibration sensation

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Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
11:31

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Published on: December 5, 2014

Unilateral Pyramidotomy of the Corticospinal Tract in Rats for Assessment of Neuroplasticity-inducing Therapies
08:41

Unilateral Pyramidotomy of the Corticospinal Tract in Rats for Assessment of Neuroplasticity-inducing Therapies

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Implantation of Miniosmotic Pumps and Delivery of Tract Tracers to Study Brain Reorganization in Pathophysiological Conditions
10:32

Implantation of Miniosmotic Pumps and Delivery of Tract Tracers to Study Brain Reorganization in Pathophysiological Conditions

Published on: January 18, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Neurosurgery

Background:

  • Hemispherectomy is the primary treatment for intractable pediatric seizures due to unilateral cortical disease.
  • The impact of surgical timing on sensorimotor function post-hemispherectomy is not fully understood.
  • Limited data exists on the anatomical state of sensorimotor pathways and their functional correlation after hemispherectomy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between age at hemispherectomy and sensorimotor function recovery in pediatric patients.
  • To assess the anatomical integrity of brainstem sensorimotor pathways using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
  • To correlate anatomical findings with clinical sensorimotor outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated upper and lower limb motor function and sensory thresholds in 12 hemispherectomized patients.
  • Utilized Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to examine brainstem corticospinal tracts and medial lemniscus.
  • Analyzed the relationship between age at surgery, anatomical pathway status, and functional recovery.

Main Results:

  • Hemispherectomy patients demonstrated significant sensory and motor function recovery, with many achieving normal sensory thresholds.
  • A correlation between earlier age at surgery and better sensorimotor recovery was observed in the Rasmussen's syndrome subgroup.
  • DTI revealed marked asymmetry in corticospinal tracts but preserved medial lemniscus symmetry, potentially explaining robust sensory recovery.
  • Age at surgery was predictive of the anatomical status of brainstem sensorimotor tracts.

Conclusions:

  • Age at hemispherectomy influences anatomical development of brainstem motor pathways.
  • Earlier surgical intervention may be associated with improved sensorimotor recovery patterns.
  • Preserved medial lemniscus integrity may contribute to favorable sensory outcomes post-hemispherectomy.