12 - NS Sensory Systems Flashcards

1
Q

What do spinal nerves consist of

A

millions of axons that exit the vertebral column

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2
Q

Where do spinal nerves exit through

A

intervertebral foranima

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3
Q

What does the ventral spinal root do

A

sends out automatic and somatic motor signals

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4
Q

Where does sensory information return to the spinal cord

A

dorsal sensory root

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5
Q

What is the DRG

A

contains cell bodies of sensory neurons

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6
Q

Where are the axons of sensory neurons

A

all over the body - joints and muscles

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7
Q

When do mixed spinal nerves become peripheral nerves

A

When it exits the vertebral column
- because outside nervous system domain

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8
Q

What is a ventral ramus

A

innervate all the large flexor muscles of the front of the body
motor and sensory
mixed spinal nerves

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9
Q

Dorsal Ramus

A

innervate all the muscles that have an action on the spine
motor and sensory
mixed spinal nerves

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10
Q

Sympathetic Chain Ganglia

A

part of ventral ramus
Autonomic in nature
lie really close to vertebral column

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11
Q

Where does the spinal cord end

A

L2-L3
conus medullaris

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12
Q

What are the parts of the vetebral canal

A

cervical (8)
thoracic (12)
lumbar (5)
sacral (5)

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13
Q

What is the cauda equina
What is its importance

A

formed by the end (ish) spinal nerve roots
where to put needle for CSF collection (no spinal cord, get out of the way when needle is poked in)

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14
Q

What is the nerve plexus

A

mixed spinal nerve bundles
innervate structures of the upper limb and lower limb

composed of axons from the ventral ramus of several spinal levels in strategic areas of the body (large muscle groups)

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15
Q

What is the brachial plexus

A

C5-T1
motor and sensory to upper limbs

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16
Q

intercostal nerves

A

t1-t11

motor and sensory to the body wall

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17
Q

What is the lumbosacral plexus

A

L2-S4
motor and sensory to lower limbs

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18
Q

What do plexuses give rise to

A

named peripheral nerves that innervate specific structures within the upper and lower limbs

often named for regions they serve or the course that they take (eg. ulnar, fibular nerve)

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19
Q

What are dermatones

A

thin segments of skin
represent different spinal nerves that bring information back to spinal cord
(represent regions of the skin supplied somatic sensory neurons from discrete levels of the spinal cord)

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20
Q

Quantatative Sensations

A

can put number on (objective)
- touch & pressure
- proprioception

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21
Q

qualatative sensations

A

subjective
- temperature
- nocioception (pain)

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22
Q

How do all the sensations get into the spinal cord
which type of sensations are sent

A

dorsal sensory root
mechanoreception (touch, pressure)
- mechemically gated ion channel to generate action potentials
proprioception
nociception (pain)
thermoception (hot/cold sensations)

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23
Q

Where are the cell bodies of the sensory neuron

A

dorsal root ganglion

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24
Q

how is pain tested

A

pin prick

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25
Q

how is pressure tested

A

standardized monofilament

26
Q

How is temperature tested

A

cold/hot turning fork

27
Q

How is touch tested

A

q tip

28
Q

Where does proprioception (position sense) come from

A
  • muscle (generate enough force to pull tendon right off bone/protective) - know length of muscle for balance
  • tendons (detecting tension generated/transmitted)
  • joints (kinesthetics receptors that detect joint position and movement)
29
Q

What are the two major proprioceptors

A

muscle spindle (length)
tendon organ

30
Q

Where does the receptions of sensory symptoms (nocioception, mechanoreception and proprioception) lead to

A

dorsal sensory root of spinal cord

31
Q

Proprioception

A

detect position sense
synapse in ventral horn of spinal cord
cell bodies of motor neurons
generate reflexes

32
Q

Describe the intraspinal organization

A

nociception & thermoreception: small afferents with no or little myelin
mechanoreception: medium afferents with light-heavy myelin
proprioception: large afferents with heavy myelin

33
Q

Describe how reflexes are generated in response to nociception

A
  1. sensory receptor (responds to stimulus by producing a generator or receptor potential –> sends action potentials down dorsal sensory root)
  2. sensory neuron (axon conducts impulses from receptor to integrating center)
  3. Integrating Center (one or more regions w/in CNS that relay impulses from sensory to motor neurons) –> interneuron: determines if it important to send out a muscle
  4. Through ventral root to motor neuron to generate reflex
34
Q

What are reflexes

A

a fast, involuntary, unplanned sequence of actions in response to a particular stimulus

can be somatic or automatic (constriction of pupil)
can be monosyaptic (one synapse) or polysynaptic (multiple synapse)

35
Q

What is the spinal cords role in reflexes

A

acts as integrating centre

36
Q

What is a monosynaptic reflex
What is an example

A

One synapse

Testing proprioception
Spinal cord reflex elicited by stretching muscle
1. hit tendon, muscle stretches
2. muscle spindles are activated (tells that muscles are lengthening)
3. spinal cord thinks you’re falling over –> generates reflex that contracts that muscle to oppose the stretch
4. ventral motor nerves –> knee jerks forwards
5. knee jerks forwards by hamstrings relaxing at the same time by reciprocal innervation (talks to interneuron talking to other neuron)

37
Q

What is an example of a polysnaptic reflex

A

l o l

38
Q

what are stretch reflexes and what are they used for

A

used to clinically test the integrity of specific levels of the spinal cord

39
Q

S1, 2

A

achilles tendon reflex (reflexively contract)

1, 2 buckle my shoe

innervate muscles of the calf

40
Q

L3,4

A

3,4, kicking the door

patellar tendon reflex
stretching quadricep muscles, causing extension in the knee

sensory and motor aspects

41
Q

C5, 6

A

5,6, pick up sticks

biceps brachii tendon reflex
allows you to flex elbows

brachioradialis tendon reflex
arm to radialis outside

42
Q

C7,8

A

put the sticks back down

triceps tendon reflex
extends elbow, triceps contract

43
Q

How does the crossed-extensor reflex work

A
  1. painful stimulus activates nociceptor
  2. primary sensory neuron enters spinal cord and diverges
  3. one collateral activates ascending pathways for sensation (pain) and postural adjustment (shift in centre of gravity)
  4. Withdrawal reflex pulls foot away from painful stimulus
  5. crossed extensor reflex supports body as weight shifts away from painful stimulus
44
Q

Dorsal Colum (medial limniscal pathway)

A

white matter at the back of the spinal cord

touch, pressure, propriocetpion

fasciculus cutaneatus: upper limb
fasciulus gracilis: lower limb

45
Q

How does information travel through the dorsal column

A

comes in through the primary sensory neuron
sends axons to synapse through spinal cord to brainstem
touch, pressure, proprioception

46
Q

Anterolateral pathway

A

out front, off to the side
from spine to thalamus (spinothalamic tract, no stops)
pain and temperature
from dorsal sensory route, neuron ends there and synapses with the secondary sensory neuron
crosses spinal cord to get to opposite anterior lateral tract
pain and temperature

47
Q

How does pain and temperature travel up

A

contralateral

48
Q

How does touch, pressure and proprioception travel

A

ipsilateral

49
Q

Where do all the sensations end up

A

passes through the thalamus to terminate in the
primary somatosensory cortex

50
Q

What does the middle cerebral artery sense

A

lateral cortex
face

51
Q

What does the anterior cerebral artery (medial cortex) sense

A

lower limb

52
Q

What is the path of the dorsal column/medial lemniscal pathway (touch and pressure)

A
  1. right side of body –> touch and pressure receptors
  2. right dorsal route
  3. goes up appropriate wedge of white matter
    - upper limb: cuneatous
    - lower limb: gracile
  4. medulla, synapse with secondary neuron
  5. crosses over through the medulla and pons
  6. passes through midbrain to thalamus to cortex

medial lemniscal: conscious pathway

53
Q

What is the path of the dorsal column/spinocerebellar tract (proprioception)

A

same as touch and pressure
cerebellum has dedicated line –> white matter b/c axons of neuron carrying information straight up to cerebellum to help carry out muscular movements

info crosses at the medulla

spinocerebellar tract: subconscious

also receives information from inner ear

54
Q

what is the path for pain and temperature

A
  1. comes in on right, synapses immediately at the grey matter
  2. secondary neuron corsses hte spinal cord to travel up the lateral spinothalamic tract
  3. goes from spine to thalamus
    - axon splits and talk to reticular portion of the brain, keeps you awake
    - talks to midbrain (periaqueductual grey matter)
  4. primary somatosensroy cortex to know where pain is located (localized)
55
Q

What are the three types of pain

A

nociceptive pain
neuropathic pain
centralized pain

56
Q

What is nociceptive pain

A

activation of nociceptors as a result of damage or trauma to tissues

free nerve endings detect trauma

57
Q

What is neuropathic pain

A

abnormal activation of sensory neurons
perceive pain even though no injury to tissue itself
(back pain = pain across leg, buttocks to thigh –> because pinched neuron/nerve before entering spinal cord has been pinched (irritated muscle, irritation from…)

58
Q

What is centralized pain

A

abnormal perception of painful stimuli

signals coming from CNS being decoded and perceived by you –> has to do with past experiences with pain

could have wound up pain reception by CNS

59
Q

What are the types of central sensitization

A

hyperalgesia:
- truly have pain in tissue because of damage, but pain signals are amplified
Allodynia:
- CNS takes other sensory modalities (touch adn pressure) and make into pain signal to perceive as pain (touch being painful)

60
Q

What does endogenous pain control do
Where are they located
How does it work

A

Pathways to limit the amount of pain signals that make their way up to the cerebral cord

Spinal cord ‘gate’ mechanism of pain control
- proprioceptive and touch sensation take preccendent over pain (block it out)
- person touching their knee after hitting it to feel less pain

Inhibitory neuron activated by stimulating it with other sensory modalities (touch and proprioception)
- blocks messages from spinal cord

61
Q

Which structures have a role in central control of pain

A

Reticular Formation (not so much)
PAG (mostly): send descending axons down SC to release endorphins and enkephalins on primary and secondary sensory neurons to inhibit pain tramission

62
Q

What are the types of therapy for exogenous pain relief

A

nonpharmacologic therapy
- exercise
- multidisciplinary rehabilitation
- acupuncture
- tai-chi, yoga
pharmacologic therapy
- nonsteroidla anti-inflammatory drugs (act peripherally)
- transmadol or duloxetine
- opiods (act centrally)