Osmosis video - Ascending and descending spinal tracts

Ascending and descending spinal tracts are neural pathways within the spinal cord, which carry information up and down the spinal cord connecting the brain to the rest of the body.

The ascending tracts include the dorsal column-medial lemniscus system, the spinothalamic system, and the spinocerebellar system. These tracts carry sensory information from the periphery, such as pain, touch, and temperature to the brain.

The descending tracts include lateral and anterior corticospinal tracts, the vestibulospinal, the rubrospinal, and the reticulospinal tracts. These tracts carry motor information, such as a motor command to move the arm, from the brain down the spinal cord to the appropriate part of the body.