Libelle of note

For the Reticulospinal tracts various terms are used in the literature. Following the study on human reticulospinal fibres by Nathan PW, Smith MC, Deacon P (1996 Vestibulospinal, reticulospinal and descending propriospinal nerve fibres in man. Brain 119:1809-1833), here, a simplified subdivision into a Lateral (from The Myelencephalon) and a Medial reticulospinal tract (from the Pons) is advocated.

Nathan and Smith described the Propriospinal fasciculi as Posterior or Dorsal, Lateral, and Anterior or Ventral Ground bundles (Nathan PW, Smith MC 1959 Fasciculi proprii of the spinal cord in man. Brain 82:610-668). The term Fasciculus septomarginalis (Septomarginal fasciculus) is used for: 1) the Oval bundle of Flechsig, present at lumbar levels; and 2) the Triangle of Philippe-Gombault, present at sacral levels (see Schoenen J, Grant G 2004 The spinal cord: Connections. In: Paxinos G, Mai JK, eds: The Human Nervous System, 2nd ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 236-265). The term Fasciculus interfascicularis is also known as the Comma tract of Schultze, present at cervical and high thoracic levels. According to Nathan and Smith (1959), the Comma tract consists of descending divisions of the cervical and upper thoracic dorsal roots. The Fasciculus cornucommissuralis is present throughout the cord, best developed at lumbar levels; situated along the medial side of the posterior grey column abutting the posterior commissure. It consists of ipsilaterally running propriospinal fibres (see Schoenen and Grant 2004).

See note # 5242

See note # 5242

For the Tractus spinoolivaris (Spino-olivary tract) as eponym Helweg tract is used. Smith and Deacon (Smith MC, Deacon P 1981 Helweg's triangular tract in man. Brain 104:249-277) denied that Helweg's tract contains spino-olivary fibres; more likely reticulospinal; Helweg's tract can be identified in Weigert-stained sections, but hardly in Luxol-Fast-Blue-stained sections. The term Fibrae olivospinales is deleted (non-existent); they are probably reticulospinal fibres; see Brodal A 1969 Neurological Anatomy in Relation to Clinical Medicine, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, New York).

The Pars retrolentiformis of the Internal capsule should be treated as a separate component, not as part of the Posterior limb; Crus retrolentiforme suggested as synonym. The Pars sublentiformis also forms a separate component of the Internal capsule; Crus sublentiforme suggested as synonym.

See note # 6254

The Capsula extrema (Extreme capsule) forms one of the Long association systems involved in language processing (see Catani M, Thiebaut de Schotten M 2012 Atlas of Human Brain Connections. Oxford University Press, Oxford).

See note # 8426

The Pedunculus temporalis (Temporal peduncle) forms the connection between the temporal and frontal lobes and contains: (1) the Fasciculus occipitofrontalis inferior (Inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus); and (2) the Fasciculus uncinatus cerebri (Uncinate fasciculus).