spinothalamic tract

anatomy

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July 14, 2026

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The spinothalamic tracts are ascending sensory pathways within the spinal cord that transmit signals related to pain, thermal sense, and light touch to the brain. Fibers carrying these sensations enter the spinal cord and ascend or descend before reaching the dorsal horn. Neurons in the dorsal horn then give rise to the spinothalamic tracts. The lateral spinothalamic tract conveys pain and thermal signals, while the anterior spinothalamic tract carries light touch information. These tracts merge at the medullary level and project to relay nuclei in the thalamus, a key structure in the brain for processing sensory information.1

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human nervous system
Spinothalamic tracts
Fibers concerned with pain, thermal sense, and light touch enter the lateral-root entry zone and then ascend or descend near the periphery of the spinal cord before entering superficial laminae of the dorsal horn—largely parts of laminae I, IV, and V. Cells in…
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Fibers concerned with pain, thermal sense, and light touch enter the lateral-root entry zone and then ascend or descend near the periphery of the spinal cord before entering superficial laminae of the dorsal horn—largely parts of laminae I, IV, and V. Cells in…
Read More

pain
Physiology of pain
Two different pathways, the spinothalamic and spinoreticular tracts, transmit impulses to the brainstem and thalamus. Spinothalamic input is thought to effect the conscious sensation of pain, and the spinoreticular tract is thought to effect the arousal and emotional aspects of pain.
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Two different pathways, the spinothalamic and spinoreticular tracts, transmit impulses to the brainstem and thalamus. Spinothalamic input is thought to effect the conscious sensation of pain, and the spinoreticular tract is thought to effect the arousal and emotional aspects of pain.
Read More