Anatomy Practical 3 Flashcards
Define neurulation
Formation and closure of the neural tube
How does neurulation occur?
- notochord induces above ectroderm to thicken and differentiate into the neuroectoderm = neural plate
- neural plate dorsally folds = neural tube
- neuroectoderm converging edges = neural crest cells which line up in 2 columns down the tube
What are the neuropores?
- anterior and posterior on neural tube connecting lumen of neural tube and amniotic cavity
- anterior neuropore forms adult brain
- posterior neuropore forms adult spinal cord
What does the lumen of the neural tube develop into?
Brain ventricles and central canal of the spinal cord
When do the neuropores close?
- anterior closes at 25-26 days
- posterior closes at 27-28 days
What do the neural crest cells become?
Peripheral nerves, endocrine glands, CT and specialized tissue
What do cranial neural crest cells differentiate into?
- neurocranium
- meninges
- CT
- cranial nerves
(enter pharyngeal arches and pouches = thymic cells)
What do the trunk neural crest cells differentiate into?
1) Melanocytes (produce pigment, travel through dermis in ectoderm colonising skin and hair follicles)
2) Migrate to sclerotome = DRG, Sympathetic neurons, PS nerves, adrenomedullary cells, Schwann cells (of gut/abdomen/pelvis)
What is spina bifida?
- most common neural tube defect
- if posterior neuropore does not close
- neurogenetic
- disability extent depends on where spina bifida is and ammout of nerve tissue involved
What does spina bifida include?
- spina bifida cystica (myelomeningocele and meningocele)
- spina bifida occulta (mild, most common, 1 or more vertebrae malformed, small tuft of hair/dimple/birth mark)
What is myelomeningocele?
- most serious form of spina bifida
- sac contains CSF and nerves and spinal cord parts
What is meningocele?
- sac containing CSF and meninges
- less common and less severe
What defects do you get if the anterior neuropore fails to close?
- encephalocele
- anencephaly
What is anencephaly?
- born without parts of brain and skull
- cerebrum fails to develop without skull
- face and neck abnormalities
- 11-14 weeks detected during gestation via US or maternal serum alpha fetoprotein as if high levels of alpha fetoprotein crosses placenta to mother indicates open neural tube defect
- majority stillborn or die with few hours
What is encephalocele?
- herniation of meninges and brain tissue outside cranium
- usually midline
- cranial meningocele = only meninges
- encephalocele = brain tissue
- ventriculocele = ventricle within herniated brain part
How do the brain vesicles form?
- 3 primary at week 4
- 5 secondary at week 5
What are the primary vesicles?
- prosencephalon (forebrain)
- mesencephalon (midbrain)
- rhombencephalon (hindbrain)
What are the secondary vesicles?
- telencephalon
- diencephalon
- mesencephalon
- metencephalon
- myelencephalon
What brain structures come from which secondary vesicles?
- telencephalon (cerebral hemispheres - white matter/cortex/basal nuclei)
- diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, retina)
- mesencephalon (midbrain)
- metencephalon (pons, cerebellum)
- myelncephalon (medulla oblangata)
Which ventricles come from which secondary vesicles?
- telencephalon (lateral)
- diencephalon (third)
- mesencephalon (cerebral aqueduct)
- metencephalon (4th ventricle)
- myelencephalon (4th ventricle)
What is hydrocephalus?
- dilatation of cerebral ventricles
- CSF drained into bloodstream via arachnoid villi
- ventricle dilatation due to blockage of CSF or over-production of CSF
- increased pressure in ventricle
- congenital or acquired later in life via stroke/TBI/tumours/meningitis
- manage: reduce brain pressure and restore normal CSF flow via shunts OR endoscopic third ventriculostomy
What is cerebral palsy?
- group of non-progressive neuromuscular disorders caused by brain damage
- classified by severity, topographical distribution or motor function
- damage to immature brain = vascular, hypoxic-ischaemic, teratogenic, genetic, infection, toxins, metabolic problems, trauma
What makes up the pharyngeal apparatus?
- pharyngeal arches
- pouches
- grooves
- membranes
(develop in week 4, arch and pouch 5 regress)
What are the pharyngeal arches?
- 1-4 and 6 contain mesoderm and neural crest cells
- mesoderm = muscles and arteries
- neural crest cells = bone and CT
- CN associated with each arch
What are the pharyngeal pouches?
- evaginations of endoderm lining the foregut
- oral cavity and oesophagus
- internal