Ascending tracts
The posterior (dorsal) spinocerebellar and anterior (ventral) spinocerebellar tracts are located on the lateral surface of the spinal cord and convey proprioceptive information to the cerebellum.5
Descending tracts
The anterior funiculus contains reticulospinal and vestibulospinal fibres, the anterior corticospinal tract and the medial longitudinal fasciculus.6,7
References:
1. Siebert JR, Kennedy K, Osterhout DJ. Neurons are not all the same: diversity in neuronal populations and their intrinsic responses to spinal cord injury. ASN Neuro 2025; 17 (1): 2440299.
2. Basinger H, Hogg JP. Neuroanatomy, brainstem. [Updated 2023 Jul]. In: StatPearls [internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544297/.
3. Ghazni NF, Cahill CM, Stroman. Tactile sensory and pain networks in the human spinal cord and brain stem mapped by means of functional MR imaging. Am J Neuroradiol 2010; 31 (4): 661–667.
4. Trakimas A, Ayubcha D. Spinal cord anatomy and blood supply. In: OpenAnesthesia. Available at: https://www.openanesthesia.org/. Accessed December 2025.
5. Kang JH, Im S. Functional anatomy of the spinal tracts based on evolutionary perspectives. Korean J Neurotrauma 2023; 19 (3): 275–287.
6. Khan YS, Lui F. Neuroanatomy, spinal cord. [Updated July 2023] In: StatPearls [internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559056/.
7. Li M, Yeh F, Zeng Q, et al. The trajectory of the medial longitudinal fasciculus in the human brain: A diffusion imaging-based tractography study. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42 (18): 6070–6086.