The hypothalamospinal tract arises mainly from the paraventricular nucleus, lateral and posterior hypothalamic areas. This tract descends through the periaqueductal gray and adjacent reticular formation. The hypothalamospinal tract also connects the

hypothalamus The hypothalamus () is a part of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamu ...

to the ciliospinal center of the

intermediolateral cell column The intermediolateral nucleus (IML) is a region of grey matter found in one of the three grey columns of the spinal cord, the lateral grey column. This is Rexed lamina VII. The intermediolateral cell column exists at vertebral levels T1 – L ...

in the spinal cord (T1 to L2). It is found in the dorsolateral quadrant of the

lateral funiculus The most lateral of the bundles of the anterior nerve roots is generally taken as a dividing line that separates the anterolateral system The spinothalamic tract is a part of the anterolateral system or the ventrolateral system, a sensory path ...

, in the lateral

tegmentum The tegmentum (from Latin for "covering") is a general area within the brainstem. The tegmentum is the ventral part of the midbrain and the tectum is the dorsal part of the midbrain. It is located between the ventricular system and distinctive ba ...

of the

medulla Medulla or Medullary may refer to: Science * Medulla oblongata, a part of the brain stem * Renal medulla, a part of the kidney * Adrenal medulla, a part of the adrenal gland * Medulla of ovary, a stroma in the center of the ovary * Medulla of t ...

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Va ...

and

midbrain The midbrain or mesencephalon is the forward-most portion of the brainstem and is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation. The name comes from the Greek ''mesos'', " ...

. Lesions of the hypothalamospinal tract cause ipsilateral Horner's syndrome.James D. Fix. High-Yield Neuroanatomy 4th Edition. Wolters Kluwer, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. pp. 63-64. Lesions of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) or the vertebral artery can lead to

lateral medullary syndrome Lateral medullary syndrome is a neurological disorder causing a range of symptoms due to ischemia in the lateral part of the medulla oblongata in the brainstem. The ischemia is a result of a blockage most commonly in the vertebral artery or the p ...

, with ipsilateral Horner's Syndrome as the result of lesioning this nucleus.

References

{{Authority control Hypothalamus Brainstem Central nervous system pathways