Spino olivary tract

The spino-olivary tract is located in the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord. This tract carries proprioception information from muscles and tendons as well as cutaneous impulses to the olivary nucleus. This is a non-specific indirect ascending pathway and is connected to olivary nuclei in the brain.

The axons enter the spinal cord from the posterior (dorsal) root ganglion and terminate on unknown second-order neurons in the posterior grey column. The axons from the second-order neurons cross the midline and ascend as the spino-olivary tract in the white matter at the junction of the anterior and lateral columns. The axons end by synapsing on third-order neurons in the inferior olivary nuclei in the medulla oblongata. The axons of the third-order neurons cross the midline and enter the cerebellum through the inferior cerebellar peduncle.

The spino-olivary tract conveys information to the cerebellum from cutaneous and proprioceptive organs. Sensations are from ipsilateral side as the fibres cross twice - once at the level of axons of second-order neurons another time at the level of axons of third-order neurons.