Final answer:
The spinothalamic tract is responsible for the transmission of pain and temperature sensations from the body to the brain, starting at the dorsal root ganglion, crossing over in the spinal cord, and relaying information up to the thalamus and then to the cerebral cortex.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of pain associated with the spinothalamic tract is referred to as nociceptive pain, which pertains to the sensation of pain due to potentially harmful stimuli. This pathway specifically carries information about pain and temperature sensations from the body to the brain. The spinothalamic tract begins with neurons in a dorsal root ganglion, which then synapse with second neurons in the spinal cord gray matter. These secondary neurons decussate, or cross over, in the spinal cord, then ascend to the thalamus in the brain, where they relay information to the third neuron. The neurons in the thalamus then project to the postcentral gyrus of the cerebral cortex. In the case of a sensory deficit affecting the spinothalamic tract, one would experience issues with pain and temperature sensation discrimination, evident during clinical testing of sensory modalities.