tectospinal tract

Origin: - a bundle of thick, myelinated nerve fibers originating in the deep layers of the superior colliculus Course: - the tract crosses to the opposite side in the dorsal tegmental decussation - the tract descends between the medial longitudinal fasciculus dorsally & the medial lemniscus ventrally, into the anterior funiculus of the spinal cord - the tract ends in the medial aspect of the anterior horn of the cervical spinal cord - through its course in the brainstem, it is accompanied by nerve fibers from the tectobulbar tract. Function: - the tectospinal tract appears to be involved in head movements during visual & auditory tracking.

References

Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999

Component-of

medulla mesencephalon (midbrain) pons spinal cord (spinal marrow)