Central tegmental tract

The central tegmental tract is a structure in the midbrain and pons.

It contains:


 * ascending axonal fibers that arise from the rostral nucleus solitarius and terminate in the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) of thalamus. Information from the thalamus will go to cortical taste area, namely the insula and frontal operculum.
 * descending rubroolivary fibers arising from the parvocellular red nucleus to terminate in the ipsilateral inferior olivary nucleus. This latter pathway (the rubro-olivary tract) will be used to connect the contralateral cerebellum.
 * ascending reticulothalamic fibres  projecting from the medial zone nuclei of the reticular formation to the hypothalamus (to mediate autonomic nervous system response), and the intralaminar thalamic nuclei  (to mediate a startle response to pain ).

Clinical significance
Lesion of the tract can cause palatal myoclonus, e.g. in myoclonic syndrome, in strokes of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.