AA And DD Tracts Flashcards
What do ascending and descending spinal tracts carry
- AA sensory like pain
- DD motor
What do axons gather in
Funiculi which are found in dorsal, lateral and ventral parts of spinal cord
Types of AA tracts from spinal to cerebral cortex
- dorsal column medial lemiscus system
- spinothalmic (anterolateral)
- spinocerebella system (most lateral)
how to AA travel through each order neurons
- 1st in dorsal root ganglion and gather sensory input
- 2nd in spinal cord or brain stem
- 3rd in thalamus
- 4th in cerebral cortex
What are crossings in AA tracts eg from right body to left brain
Decussations which happen at different levels for each tract
What does dorsal column medial lemiscus system detect
- vibration, proprioception, 2 point discrimination and touch
- go to 1st order axons from mechanoreceptors, proprioceptors to dorsal root ganglion where 1st order cell bodies reside
- to dorsal column of spinal cord
Dorsal column parts for upper and lower
- sensation from lower body form gracilis fascicle (medial part)
- sensation from upper body form cuneate fascicle (lateral part)
This is topographic organisation
These go to medulla where gracilis and cuneate nuclei reside
AA from nuclei
- synapse on bodies of 2nd order neurons
- these decussate form medial lemniscus to thalamus (ventral posterolateral nucleas)
- synapse on 3rd order neurones
- AA to primary somatosensory cortex which contain 4th order neurones
What does spinothalamic/ anterolateral system do
- crude touch from free nerve endings
- pain from nociceptors
- pressure from mechanoreceptors
- temp from thermoreceptors
How do AA spinothalamic travel
- 1st order axons to dorsal root ganglion then AA 1 or 2 segments before
- direct or indirectly (via interneurons) synapsing with 2nd order bodies on dorsal/ post horn
- then decussate to form anterior spinothalamic tract (crude touch and pressure) and lateral spinothalamic tract (pain and temp)
AA spinothalmic from cord to brain
- via conterlateral spinal cord to conterlateral thalamus (ventral posterior lateral nucleus)
- end by synapsing on 3rd order neurones in nucleas
- 3rd order axons go to cerebrum, primary somatosensory cortex where they synapse on 4th order neurones in nucleas
AA spinocerebellar tract
- coordinate mm in trunk and limbs
- unconscious proprioectors like stance and how flexed joints are
- 1st order dorsal root to synapse on grey matter
- make 2 tracts either by desiccating straight away to ventral spinocerebellar tract (most lat ant) or stay on ipsilateral side and make dorsal spinocerebellar tract
AA spinocerebellar tract from spinal cord to brain
- ventral to superior cerebellar peduncle then desiccating again to ipsilateral cerebellar cortex where it synapses on neurones in cerebellar cortex
- dorsal never desiccates and AA to inferior cerebellar peduncle ending up same as ventral
3 not 4
Where and upper and lower motor neurones located
- upper in cerebral cortex and deep nuclei of brain stem
- lower in anterior horns of spinal cord
What r direct motor pathways (pyramidal tracts)
- fine conscious mm movements
- somatosensory cortex has the primary motor context anterior to it
- this contains pyramidal cells which r upper motor neurones