gracile fasciculus

f. gracilis medullae spinalis

A group of axons that are from neurons involved in proprioception from the lower trunk and lower limb[GO]. The fasciculus gracilis (tract of Goll) is a bundle of axon fibres in the dorsomedial spinal cord that carries information about fine touch, vibrations, and conscious proprioception from the lower part of the body to the brain stem. It is part of the posterior column of the spinal cord, which also contains the fasciculus cuneatus, which carries the same information from the upper part of the body. This tract and its continuation in the brain stem is often referred to as the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The fasciculus gracilis is wedge-shaped on transverse section and lies next the posterior median septum, its base being at the surface of the medulla spinalis, and its apex directed toward the posterior gray commissure. It increases in size from below upward, and consists of long thin fibers that are derived from the posterior nerve roots, and ascend as far as the medulla oblongata, where they end in the nucleus gracilis. The tract of Goll was named after Swiss neuroanatomist Friedrich Goll[WP].

Type Nerve
Système corporel Nervous
Nom latin f. gracilis medullae spinalis
FMA ID 258416

Sous-structures

gracile fasciculus of medulla Organ gracile fasciculus of spinal cord Organ

Questions fréquentes

What is the gracile fasciculus?
The gracile fasciculus (fasciculus gracilis, or tract of Goll) is an axon bundle located in the dorsomedial portion of the posterior (dorsal) column of the spinal cord. It carries sensory information from the lower body to the brainstem.
What sensory modalities does the gracile fasciculus carry?
The gracile fasciculus transmits fine touch (discriminative touch), vibration sensation, and conscious proprioception (joint position sense) from the lower trunk, pelvis, and lower limbs upward to the gracile nucleus in the medulla oblongata.
What part of the body does the gracile fasciculus represent?
The gracile fasciculus carries sensory input from the lower half of the body (below approximately T6), including the legs, feet, and lower trunk. The cuneate fasciculus (lateral to it) carries input from the upper body.
Where does the gracile fasciculus terminate?
The gracile fasciculus ascends to terminate in the gracile nucleus (nucleus gracilis) in the dorsal medulla oblongata. Second-order neurons then cross the midline in the medial lemniscus to ascend to the thalamus.
What is the clinical significance of gracile fasciculus dysfunction?
Damage to the gracile fasciculus, as occurs in subacute combined degeneration (vitamin B12 deficiency) or spinal cord compression, causes loss of vibration sense and proprioception in the lower limbs, leading to sensory ataxia and a positive Romberg sign.

Structures associées

accessory nucleus of optic tract nuclei accessorii tractus optici muscle spindle muscle stretch receptor mushroom body corpora pedunculata myelencephalon sulcus limitans cavum septum pellucidum cave of septum pellucidum spinal cord commissure neodentate part of dentate nucleus neodentate portion of dentate nucleus nerve nerves

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Data sources: Terminologia Anatomica, Foundational Model of Anatomy, Wikidata.