Dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway

The dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway is a key part of your nervous system that transmits precise touch, vibration, and proprioception (awareness of body position) signals from your skin and muscles to your brain. Nerve signals from your body travel up the spinal cord through specialized pathways, called dorsal columns. These signals then reach the brainstem, where they cross over to the opposite side and continue upward to the brain's sensory areas. This pathway allows you to feel fine touch and know where parts of your body are without looking, enabling coordinated movement and detailed tactile perception.