Answer
The spino-thalamic tracts begin in the spinal cord and terminate in the thalamus of the brain. Spino(spinal) come first in the name, so the tract apparently goes from the spinal cord to the thalamic region of the brain. This indicates that these are ascending sensory tracts.
Work Step by Step
There are two spinothalamic tracts, the anterior( ventral) and the lateral spinothalamic tracts. The anterior tract transmits sensations of crude touch, and firm pressure, while the lateral tract transmits sensations of pain and temperature. Sensory axons from the skin enter the spinal cord and synapse with neurons in the dorsal root of the spinal cord..The second order neurons then cross the spinal cord and ascend to thalamic nuclei. There, spinothalamic neurons synapse with third order neurons which convey the sensory information to the somatosensory cortex.
Other ascending spinal tracts are the gracile fasciculus, and the cuneate fasciculus which transmit sensory information--proprioceptive and light touch-- from lower and middle regions of the body into the spinal cord. The neurons of these tracts also ascend the spinal cord to the thalamus by way of the medulla), and thence to the somatosensory cortex.
