Upper Motor Neuron - Pathways

Pathways

Upper motor neurons travel in several pathways through the CNS:

Tract Pathway Function
corticospinal tract from the motor cortex to lower motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord The major function of this pathway is fine voluntary motor control of the limbs. The pathway also controls voluntary body posture adjustments.
corticobulbar tract from the motor cortex to several nuclei in the pons and medulla oblongata Involved in control of facial and jaw musculature, swallowing and tongue movements.
Colliculospinal tract from the superior colliculus to lower motor neurons Involved in involuntary adjustment of head position in response to visual information.
rubrospinal tract from red nucleus to lower motor neurons Involved in involuntary adjustment of arm position in response to balance information; support of the body.
vestibulospinal tract from vestibular nuclei, which processes stimuli from semicircular canals It is responsible for adjusting posture to maintain balance.
reticulospinal tract from reticular formation Regulates various involuntary motor activities and assists in balance.

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