A patient is diagnosed with damage to the spinothalamic tract of the spinal cord. Which of the following will be a manifestation of this damage?
1. muscle spasms
2. unusual amount of pain
3. ataxia
4. vertigo
2
Rationale: There are three major tracts in the spinal cord. The spinothalamic tract originates in the spinal cord, crosses over with segments of entry and ascends to the thalamus in the brain. It transmits pain and temperature. The patient with damage to the spinothalamic tract of the spinal cord will manifest an unusual amount of pain. The corticospinal tract originates in the brain and crosses over in the brainstem to innervate the opposite side of the body. It transmits motor activity which would be the cause for the muscle spasms in the patient. The posterior horn contains axons from the peripheral sensory neurons and is responsible for position sense. Damage to this portion of the cord could manifest as ataxia or vertigo in the patient.
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