CLARKES COLUMN (Nucleus Dorsalis)

• Important spinal cord pathway that doesn’t reach conscious levels projects to the cerebellum. The nucleus dorsalis or Clarkes column is located in the dorsal gray commissure between the central canal and the lateral horn. The Clarkes nucleus extends the same length as the lateral horn (T1 - L2). The axons ascend on the same side as the nucleus for afferents to the cerebellum as the dorsal spinal cerebellar tract (DSCT). Note that the size of these neurons is very large.