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| Medial vestibulospinal tract | |
|---|---|
 Vestibulospinal tract is 2c, in red at bottom center. | |
 Diagram of the principal fasciculi of the spinal cord. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | tractus vestibulospinalis medialis |
| TA98 | A14.1.02.207 |
| TA2 | 6114 |
| FMA | 75798 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Themedial vestibulospinal tract is one of the descending spinal tracts of the ventromedial funiculus of the spinal cord.[1] It is found only in the cervical spine and above.
The medial part of the vestibulospinal tract is the smaller part, and is primarily made of fibers from the medial vestibular nucleus. It projectsbilaterally down thespinal cord and triggers the ventral horn of the cervical spinal circuits, particularly controlling lower motor neurons associated with the spinal accessory nerve (CN XI). Additionally, the pathway projects superiorly to theparamedian pontine reticular formation, indirectly innervating the nuclei of CN VI and III. Through this superior projection, the medial vestibulospinal tract is involved in "yoking" the eyes together in response to rapid movement of the head. Thus, cumulatively, it controls head and whole-body orientation.
The anterior funiculus will contain descending motor fibers of... medial vestibulospinal... tracts.
