Reticulospinal Tract Research Paper

Reticulospinal Tract

The reticulospinal tract is a motor pathway that originates from the reticular formation, primarily in the pons and medulla, and synapses in the spinal cord. In the reticular formation, the reticulospinal tract surfaces from the pontine caudal reticular nucleus and gigantocellular reticular nucleus. The reticulospinal tract is responsible for postural control and autonomic function like initiation of locomotion via innervation of motor neurons into the trunk and proximal limb flexors and extensors.1, 2 The reticulospinal tract has two divisions, the medial (pontine) tract and the lateral (medullary) tract. The medial reticulospinal tract descends in the ventromedial column of the spinal cord and fibers from the lateral
Studies on primates have implied that the reticulospinal tract may ipsilaterally facilitate flexors and suppress extensors, and contralaterally facilitate extensors and suppress flexors.5 Input to both divisions of the reticulospinal tract arises from various areas of the brain, including the motor areas residing in the cerebral cortex. The motor areas may access the spinal cord in two ways, directly through corticospinal projection and the other indirectly via the corticoreticulo-spinal pathway, which consists of the corticoreticular pathway and reticulospinal tract.3 The reticulospinal system interacts in association with other neurological components.1 The reticular formation, due to its