Sensory Pathways and their Functions

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to sensory pathways, their functions, and anatomical structures involved in sensory processing.

Trigeminal Nerve (CN5)

A cranial nerve that carries sensory information from the face to the midbrain and cortex.

Spinothalamic Tract

A sensory pathway that transmits pain and temperature sensations from the body to the brain.

Dorsal Column/Medial Lemniscus Pathway

A sensory pathway for fine touch and proprioception, involving three neurons that cross over in the dorsal nuclei.

Primary Sensory Cortex

The area of the brain responsible for processing sensory information from the body, including touch, pain, and temperature.

Homuncular Arrangement

The organization of sensory information in the brain where adjacent body parts are represented next to each other.

Decussation

The crossing over of nerve fibers from one side of the central nervous system to the other.

Trigeminal Nucleus

The nucleus that processes sensory information from the face via the trigeminal nerve.

Spinoreticular Tract

A pathway involved in modulating pain as it ascends through the brainstem.

Periaqueductal Grey

A region of the brain that modulates pain through projections back down the spinal cord.

Primary Motor Cortex

The area of the brain responsible for planning and executing voluntary movement.