lateral lemniscus

A fiber bundle that runs through the medulla, pons and midbrain that arises in the cochlear nucleus and projects to various brainstem nuclei and ultimately the contralateral inferior colliculus of the midbrain. The brainstem nuclei include the superior olive, the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body, and the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. Fibers leaving these brainstem nuclei ascending to the inferior colliculus rejoin the lateral lemniscus. In that sense, this is not a 'lemniscus' in the true sense of the word (second order, decussated sensory axons), as there is third (and out of the lateral superior olive, fourth) order information coming out of some of these brainstem nuclei. Adapted from Wikipedia.org (MM).