Protopathic sensation encompasses forms of sensory modalities that perceive changes that may potentially pose a threat to vital functions, namely:
Pain
Temperature
Crude pressure
Anatomy
The conduction of information for the perception of protopathic sensation occurs in part via the spinothalamic tract, which in the Spinal cord is formed as the Lateral spinothalamic tract in the lateral funiculus and as the ventral spinothalamic tract in the anterior funiculus. Therefore, these are also referred to as the anterolateral tract pathways, or as an anterolateral system[^1].