Final answer:
The statement about the medial lemniscus ascending laterally through the midbrain and meeting with the spinothalamic tract to travel to the VPL nucleus in the thalamus is true. This pathway, together with the spinothalamic tract, conveys sensory information to the thalamus and ultimately to the cerebral cortex for perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the medial lemniscus is positioned more laterally as it ascends through the midbrain and courses laterally to meet with the spinothalamic tract to travel to the VPL nucleus in the thalamus is True. The medial lemniscus is a fiber tract of the dorsal column system that extends from the nuclei gracilis and nucleus cuneatus to the thalamus. Both the dorsal column system and the spinothalamic tract are major sensory pathways in the body, with each pathway consisting of three successive neurons. The axons of these sensory pathways decussate, or cross, and ascend in the brain as the medial lemniscus, ultimately terminating and synapsing with the third neuron in the thalamus, particularly in the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL).
Consequently, the medial lemniscus does indeed meet with the spinothalamic tract before both enter the thalamus. The third neuron in these pathways projects axons to the postcentral gyrus of the cerebral cortex, where the conscious perception of sensory stimuli occurs.