Which sensations are transmitted by the Anterolateral pathway?

• A. Fine touch and vibration
• B. Proprioception
• C. Motor commands
• D. Pain, temperature, crude touch, tickle, itch

Answer: (D)

The Anterolateral pathway carries pain and temperature signals, along with crude touch. It includes the lateral spinothalamic tract for pain and temperature and the anterior spinothalamic tract for crude touch (and pressure), with some tickle and itch signals also traveling here. The fibers cross in the spinal cord and then ascend to the thalamus and cortex, which is why opposite-sided pain and temperature loss occurs after a spinal injury. This pathway is different from the dorsal columns, which transmit fine touch, vibration, and proprioception, and from motor pathways like the corticospinal tract. So the sensations described—pain, temperature, crude touch, tickle, itch—are transmitted by the Anterolateral pathway.