Tracts are a bundle of axons in the central nervous systems.

Ascending tracts carry sensory information from sensory receptors towards the
brain.
The sensory signals travel through three neurons and cross (decussate) from one
side to the
opposite side of the body in the spinal cord or brainstem. Such arrangement leading
to
the right cerebral cortex receives sensory inputs from the opposite side of the
body.
Descending tracts carry motor commands from the brain to the spinal cord. Motor
signals
begin to travel in an upper motor neuron in the cortex and travel to a lower motor
neuron
in the brainstem or spinal cord. Descending tracts also decussate and therefore
controlling
the opposite side of the body. A stroke which damages the motor centers of
one side of the brain will cause loss of function of the opposite side of body.
A sensory spinal nerve is composed of afferent fibers and a motor nerve of efferent
fibers.
A mixed nerve is composed of both afferent and efferent fibers, which is the
commonest
nerve type in our body. A ganglion is a swollen part, which contains
the somas of the peripheral neurons.
In the vertebral canal, each spinal nerve has a dorsal root, which carries sensory
signals
to the dorsal horn. The dorsal root ganglion contains the somas
of sensory neurons.
The ventral root is the site that receives motor signals from the ventral horn.
The spinal nerve then branches into a dorsal ramus, ventral ramus and meningeal
branch.
The ventral rami give rise to network-like nerve plexuses. There are five plexuses,
including
the cervical plexus in the neck, the brachial plexus near the shoulder, the lumbar
plexus
in the lower back, the sacral and coccygeal plexus.
A reflex is a quick and involuntary reaction of muscles to stimulation.
Somatic reflexes are responses of skeletal muscles, such as quick withdrawal of
your
hand if you touch a hot stove. This employs a neural pathway called a reflex
arc.
The signals travel from a somatic receptor through an afferent nerve fiber to the
spinal
cord or brainstem. The spinal cord or brainstem is an integrating
centre. They determine whether the efferent neuron issues a signal to the muscle.
The
response is then sent to skeletal muscle via the efferent nerve fibers.
The simplest type of reflex arc is the monosynaptic reflex. It has no interneuron
between the
afferent and efferent neuron. Patellar reflex is an example of monosynaptic reflex.
However, most reflexes are polysynaptic reflexes, which involves one or more
interneurons between
the afferent and efferent neurons. Withdrawal reflex is an example of polysynaptic
reflex.
Paralysis is the common consequence of spinal cord trauma. Paraplegia, a paralysis
of both
lower limbs results from spinal cord lesions at level T1 to L1.
Quadriplegia, the paralysis of all four limbs resulting from lesions above level
C5.