The fasciculus gracilis carries information from which part of the body?

The fasciculus gracilis carries information from which part of the body?

• A. Upper body
• B. Lower body
• C. Face
• D. Abdomen

Answer: (B)

Somatosensory information is organized in the dorsal columns into two tracks: the fasciculus gracilis for the lower body and the fasciculus cuneatus for the upper body. The fasciculus gracilis carries fine touch, vibration, and proprioception from the lower half of the body—legs, feet, and the lower trunk—up the spinal cord to the gracile nucleus in the medulla. From there, signals cross and travel to the thalamus and then to the somatosensory cortex. The fasciculus cuneatus handles the upper body, so the correct choice is the lower body.

Somatosensory information is organized in the dorsal columns into two tracks: the fasciculus gracilis for the lower body and the fasciculus cuneatus for the upper body. The fasciculus gracilis carries fine touch, vibration, and proprioception from the lower half of the body—legs, feet, and the lower trunk—up the spinal cord to the gracile nucleus in the medulla. From there, signals cross and travel to the thalamus and then to the somatosensory cortex. The fasciculus cuneatus handles the upper body, so the correct choice is the lower body.