The posterior thoracic nucleus, (Clarke's column, column of Clarke, dorsal nucleus, nucleus dorsalis of Clarke) is a group of

interneuron Interneurons (also called internuncial neurons, association neurons, connector neurons, or intermediate neurons) are neurons that are not specifically motor neurons or sensory neurons. Interneurons are the central nodes of neural circuits, enab ...

s found in the medial part of Rexed lamina VII, also known as the intermediate zone, of the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...

. It is located from the cervical segment C8 to lumbar segment L3 of the spinal cord and is an important structure for

proprioception Proprioception ( ) is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, a type of sensory receptor, located within muscles, tendons, and joints. Most animals possess multiple subtypes of propri ...

of the lower limb.

Anatomy

It occupies the medial part of the base of the

posterior grey column The grey columns are three regions of the somewhat ridge-shaped mass of grey matter in the spinal cord. These regions present as three columns: the anterior grey column, the posterior grey column, and the lateral grey column, all of which are ...

and appears on the transverse section as a well-defined oval area. It begins caudally at the level of the second or third

lumbar nerve The lumbar nerves are the five pairs of spinal nerves emerging from the lumbar vertebrae. They are divided into posterior and anterior divisions. Structure The lumbar nerves are five spinal nerves which arise from either side of the spinal cord ...

, and reaches its maximum size opposite the twelfth thoracic nerve. Above the level of the eight thoracic nerve its size diminishes, and the column ends opposite the last cervical or first thoracic nerve. It is represented, however, in the other regions by scattered cells, which become aggregated to form a cervical nucleus opposite the third cervical nerve, and a sacral nucleus in the middle and lower part of the sacral region. Nerve cells in the posterior thoracic nucleus are most abundant between the lower thoracic and upper lumbar segments. Cell bodies are of medium size and oval- or pyriform-shape. These cells characteristically present coarse Nissl granules and have characteristic eccentric nuclei. Axonal projections from neurons in this nucleus give rise to the dorsal

spinocerebellar tract The spinocerebellar tracts are nerve tracts originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side (ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. The two main tracts are the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, and the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Both of ...

which ascends ipsilaterally through the spinal cord and ends as mossy fibers in the ipsilateral cerebellar cortex after passing through the inferior cerebellar peduncle. Axons originating from the posterior thoracic nucleus which ascend contralaterally through 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 into two parts. These are the anterior funiculus, between the anterior median fissure and the most lateral ...

of the

are named

ventral spinocerebellar tract The spinocerebellar tracts are nerve tracts originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side ( ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. The two main tracts are the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, and the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Both of ...

which cross over again within the white matter of the cerebellum, to ultimately end on its ipsilateral side.

Function

The posterior thoracic nucleus is a major relay center for unconscious

. Sensory information from

muscle spindle Muscle spindles are stretch receptors within the body of a skeletal muscle that primarily detect changes in the length of the muscle. They convey length information to the central nervous system via afferent nerve fibers. This information can be ...

s and tendon organs is carried by axons of larger neurons in dorsal root ganglia, which synapse onto neurons in the spinal cord including the posterior thoracic nucleus. From here information continues rostrally until it reaches the

cerebellar cortex The cerebellum (: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for 'little brain') is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as it or e ...

. This relay pathway is generally known as the

dorsal spinocerebellar tract The spinocerebellar tracts are nerve tracts originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side ( ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. The two main tracts are the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, and the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Both of ...

Diseases

It has been observed that in

Friedreich's ataxia Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a rare, inherited, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the nervous system, causing progressive damage to the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and cerebellum, leading to impaired ...

there is evident degeneration of the posterior thoracic nucleus as well as other proprioceptive spinal tracts. These patients might present with ataxia,

dysarthria Dysarthria is a speech sound disorder resulting from neurological injury of the motor component of the motor–speech system and is characterized by poor articulation of phonemes. It is a condition in which problems effectively occur with the ...

, muscle weakness or paralysis and skeletal defects.

Eponym

Clarke's column is named for Jacob Augustus Lockhart Clarke.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080331064830/http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/atlas/L3/ * http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/sc97/text/p3/Pathway.htm {{Authority control Spinal cord