The DCML pathway remains on the same side as the receptor until it reaches the medulla where it crosses.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not specified

Answer: (B)

Fine touch, vibration, and proprioception travel up the dorsal columns on the same side as the receptor. At the level of the medulla, the first-order fibers synapse in the gracile or cuneate nuclei and the second-order neurons cross to the opposite side (decussate) to form the medial lemniscus, which then ascends to the thalamus and cerebral cortex. Because the crossing happens at the medulla, the pathway remains on the same side as the receptor until it reaches the medulla. This is why lesions above the medulla cause contralateral deficits, while lesions below cause ipsilateral deficits. The statement is true.