B&B Week 1 Flashcards
what are the 3 divisions of the CNS?
brain
brainstem
spinal cord
what are the the two divisions of the forebrain?
telencephalon
diencephalon
what structures comprise the telencephalon?
- cerebrum (cerebral hemispheres)
2. basal ganglia
what are the functions of the basal ganglia?
associated with a variety of functions, including:
- voluntary motor control
- procedural learning related to routine behaviors or “habits” (bruxism, eye movements, cognitive, emotional functions)
what structures make up the diencephalon?
“anything with -thalamus in it”
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- subthalamus
what is the function of the thalamus?
relaying sensation, spatial sense, and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, along with the regulation of consciousness, sleep and alertness
what is the function of the hypothalamus?
- certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system
- synthesizes and secretes certain neurohormones, often called hypothalamic releasing hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones
- hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep and circadian cycles
what is the function of the subthalamus?
relay station
takes in sensory info and then passes it on to the cerebral cortex
cerebral cortex also sends info to the thalamus which then sends this info to other systems
what are the two main divisions of the brain stem?
midbrain and hindbrain
what are the three divisions of the hindbrain?
medulla, pons and cerebellum
what is the function of the midbrain?
associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep/wake, arousal (alertness) and temperature regulation
what is the function of the pons?
involved in motor control and sensory analysis
i.e info from ear enters brain in the pons
it has parts that are important for the level of consciousness and for sleep
some structures are linked to the cerebellum and are thus involved in movement and posture
what is the function of the cerebellum?
regulation and coordination of movement, posture and balance
in what two ways can the PNS be classified?
by direction
by function
describe how the PNS may be classified by direction
there are two types of neurones carrying nerve impulses in different directions:
- sensory neurons are afferent neurons with relay nerve impulses toward the CNS
- motor neurons are efferent neurons which relay nerve impulses away from the CNS
describe how the PNS may be classified by function
PNS is structurally and functionally divided into the somatic and the autonomic nervous system
what is the function of the somatic nervous system?
responsible for coordinating the body movements and also for receiving external stimuli
system that regulates activities that are under conscious control
what are the divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
sympathetic division
parasympathetic division
enteric division
what is the function of the sympathetic division of the ANS?
responds to impending danger
responsible for increase in HR and BP along with the sense of excitement one feels due to the increase of adrenaline in the system (fight or flight)
slows digestive system so more blood is available to carry oxygen to vital organs such as brain, heart and muscles
what is the function of the parasympathetic division of the ANS?
resting and relaxed state
constricts pupil, slows heart, dilates blood vessels, stimulates digestive and genitourinary tracts
what is the function of the enteric nervous system?
manages every aspect of digestion from esophagus to stomach and small intestine and colon
describe the orientation of the nervous system (i.e anterior, rostral etc…)
look on diagram on page 3 of B&B notes
what are the biggest peripheral nerve fibers?
A-alpha
13-22 micrometers in diameter
how does diameter correlate with conduction velocity in peripheral nerve fibers?
as the diameter gets bigger, conduction velocity gets faster
i.e A-alpha nerve fibers have the biggest diameter and have the fastest conduction velocity
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of A-alpha peripheral nerve fibers?
- 13-22 micrometers
- 70-120 m/sec
- alpha-motoneurons, muscle spindle PRIMARY endings, golgi tendon organs, TOUCH
*afferents in muscle spindles (Ib) and tendon organs (Ib)
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of A-beta peripheral nerve fibers?
- 8-13 micrometers
- 40-70 m/sec
- tough, kinesthesia, muscle spindle SECONDARY endings
*mechanoafferents of skin (II)
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of A-gamma peripheral nerve fibers?
- 4-8 micrometers
- 15-40 m/sec
- touch, pressure, temperature
*muscle spindle efferents
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of A-delta peripheral nerve fibers?
- 1-4 micrometers
- 5-15 m/sec
- pain, CRUDE tough, pressure, temperature
*skin afferents (temp and “fast” pain)–(III)
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of B peripheral nerve fibers?
- 1-3 micrometers
- 3-14 m/sec
- preganglionic autonomic
*sympathetic preganglionic, visceral afferents
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of C peripheral nerve fibers?
- 0.1-1
- 0.2-2
- pain, touch, pressure, temperature, postganglionic autonomic
*skin afferents (“slow” pain) and sympathetic post ganglionic afferents (IV)
list the peripheral nerve fibers in order of descending size and conduction velocity
A-alpha A-beta A-gamma A-delta B C
in addition to the (i.e A-alpha) classification system for peripheral nerve fibers, what is another classification system?
roman numeral system
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of Ia peripheral nerve fibers?
- 12-20 micrometers
- 70-120 m/sec
- muscle spindle PRIMARY endings
are C fibers myelinated?
no
A and B are
in the roman numeral classification system for peripheral nerve fibers, what fiber type correspond to the following numerals?
- Ia
- Ib
- II
- III
- IV
- Ia–> A-alpha
- Ib–> A-alpha
- II–> A-beta
- III–> A-delta
- IV–> dorsal root C
characterize the various roles of A-alpha peripheral nerve fibers
can be divided into somatic motor and proprioception functions
in the proprioception functions, you have Ia fibers that work in the muscle spindle and Ib fibers that work in the golgi tendon organ
note that both Ia and Ib fibers are A-alpha nerve fibers
what peripheral nerve fiber is the motor fiber to muscle spindles?
A-gamma
what peripheral nerve fiber does fast pain?
A-delta (III)
what peripheral nerve fiber does cold?
A delta (III)
what peripheral nerve fiber does preganglionic sympathetic?
B
what peripheral nerve fiber is most numerous?
C (IV)
what peripheral nerve fiber does slow pain?
C (IV)
what peripheral nerve fiber does hot?
C (IV)
what peripheral nerve fiber does the golgi tendon organ?
A-alpha (Ib)
what peripheral nerve fiber does the muscle spindle (proprioception)?
A-alpha (Ia)
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of Ib peripheral nerve fibers?
- 11-19 micrometers
- 66-114 m/sec
- golgi tendon organs
aka A-alpha
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of II peripheral nerve fibers?
aka A-beta
- 5-12 micrometers
- 20-50 m/sec
- touch, kinesthesia, muscle spindle SECONDARY endings
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of III peripheral nerve fibers?
aka A-delta
- 1-5 micrometers
- 4-20 m/sec
- pain, crude touch, pressure, temp
what are the: 1. diameter 2. conduction velocity 3. general function of IV peripheral nerve fibers?
aka C fibers
- 0.1-2 micrometers
- 0.2-3 m/sec
- pain, touch, pressure, temp
what are sensory receptors?
specialized neurons found in the periphery of our bodies which as as transducers
they convert energy from a stimulus into action potentials (APs are the unit of communication used by the nervous system)
sensory systems extract 4 elementary attributes of a stimulus: modality, intensity, duration, location
what are the 4 elementary attributes about a stimulus that sensory systems extract?
modality
intensity
duration
location
with regard to the attributes of a stimulus that are extracted by sensory systems:
what is a modality?
a type of physical phenomenon that can be sensed… i.e photons (light), chemicals, temp, pressure (sound, touch)
it depends on the type of receptor and where the fiber terminates in the brain
energy in each modality is able to open ion channels in the receptor which is SPECIFIC for that modality
with regard to the attributes of a stimulus that are extracted by sensory systems:
how do sensory systems “read” intensity of s stimulus?
the amount of sensation varies with the strength of the stimulus
this is mediated by:
- frequency coding/temporal summation
- population coding/spatial summation
with regard to the attributes of a stimulus that are extracted by sensory systems:
how do sensory systems “read” duration?
perceived duration depends on the rate of adaptation
with regard to the attributes of a stimulus that are extracted by sensory systems:
how do sensory systems achieve localization of a stimulus?
precise mapping onto the somatocensory cortex
properties of the sensory system that enable discrimination of location are:
- receptor density
- size of the receptive fields
how do sensory receptors generate APs in response to a stimulus?
the energy contained in the stimulus is used by the receptor to change the membrane potential
this change in potential is the receptor/GENERATOR potential
in most cases, the receptor potential is a DEPOLARIZATION (with + ions flowing in, mostly Na+) of the receptive portion of the sensory axon, caused by application of the sensory stimulus
the exception to this is the photoreceptors (rods and cones) of the eye, in which the receptor potential is a HYPERpolarization
when the receptor potential reaches a threshold, an action potential is generated.
what types of sensory receptors are there?
mechanoreceptors
chemoreceptors
thermoreceptors
photoreceptors
what is the 1. stimulus 2. mechanism 3. receptor potential 4. example of mechanoreceptors?
- mechanical deformation of the receptor
- stretching of the receptor membrane opens ion channels
- depolarization
- pacinian corpuscle
what is the 1. stimulus 2. mechanism 3. receptor potential 4. example of chemoreceptors?
- chemical
- binding of chemical to receptor activates a signalling cascade that opens ion channels
- depolarization
- taste cells
what is the 1. stimulus 2. mechanism 3. receptor potential 4. example of thermoreceptors?
- temperature
- change in temperature alters the permeability of the membrane to ions
- both depolarization and hyperpolarization but the NET effect is depolarization
- sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia
what is the 1. stimulus 2. mechanism 3. receptor potential 4. example of photoreceptors?
- electromagnetic radiation (light)
- Dark: cGMP levels are high and cGMP-gated Na+ channels are open//the cell is depolarized, resting potential is -40mV//tonic release of neurotransmitter
Light: rhodopsin in the outer segment of the rod is stimulated by a photon of light//causes activation of a signalling cascade culminating in decreased cGMP levels//cGMP-gated Na+ channels close//K+ channels are unaffected, cell becomes hyperpolarized to -70mV//decrease in neurotransmitter release - dark–> depolarized//light–>hyperpolarized
- rods and cones of eye
what is an upper motor neuron?
refers to those motor neurons that have cell bodies in the motor cortex or the brain stem
serve to carry motor information down via descending tracts to be delivered to lower motor neurons
apply to the corticospinal tract, corticobulbar tract and rubrospinal tract
lesions in the descending motor systems can be located in the cerebral cortex, internal capsule, cerebral peduncles, brain stem or spinal cord
what is a lower motor neuron?
refers to those motor neurons that have cell bodies in the spinal cord including (i.e alpha or gamma motor neurons)
serve to relay motor info from UMNs to the motor end plate
LMNs innervate muscle fibers
lesions of LMNs can be located in the cells of the anterior gray column of the spinal cord or brain stem or in their axons, which constitute the ventral roots of the spinal or cranial nerves
*based on the diagram in the notes, LMNs include the interneuron, and peripheral nerve
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
muscle signs
UMN:
- weakness
- increased muscle tone
- increased spasticity
- little to no muscle atrophy
LMN
- weakness
- decreased muscle tone
- flaccid paralysis of the involved muscles
- presence of muscle atrophy and fasciculation
- usually a single or small group of muscles involved
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
deep tendon reflexes
UMN–> hyperreflexia
LMN–> hyporeflexia
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
cutaneous reflexes
UMN–> absent
LMN–> normal
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
babinski sign
UMN–> positive (extensor, big toe up)
LMN–> negative (no response or flexor, big toe down)
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
bing sign
UMN–> positive (extensor, foot up)
LMN–> negative (flexor, foot down)
how do UMN lesions and LMN lesions compare in terms of:
clonus
UMN–> present
LMN–> absent
how do spinal cord injuries present in terms of UMN vs LMN sx?
present as a LMN disorder at the level of the injury and like a UMN lesion caudally (below the lesion)
what is spinal shock?
acute UMN lesions may cause flaccid paralysis with decreased tone and decreased reflexes (LMN lesion characteristics) initially before developing spastic paresis gradually over hours to months (more UMN lesion characteristics)
what is Wallerian degeneration?
when peripheral nerves are injured, there is peripheral nerve axon degeneration, i.e when the transected distal axon stump is not viable and loses continuity with the cell body and axoplasmic transport systems
distal stump initiates wallerian degeneration within minutes of injury
- AXONAL factors–> calcium influx at axonal injury site triggers protein synthesis and growth cone formation (actin-supported extension of a developing or regenerating axon seeking its synaptic target) –> axon fragments into small pieces–> growth factors like neuroregulin are released–> initiates schwann cell dedifferentiation and proliferation
- SCHWANN CELL involvement–> myelin sheath breaks down into droplets–> proliferation of undifferentiated schwann cells and these phagocytose myelin droplets–> increased dedifferentiation of ensheathing SCs which form a SC tube around the basal lamina of the regenerating stump
- IMMUNE involvement–> breakdown of blood-nerve barrier–> macrophage infiltration to engulf debris from degenerating axons
how does axonal regeneration occur after injury? what factors are involved?
- axon initiates growth–> transected proximal stump almost immediately initiates axonal regeneration–> multiple growth cones form each with several filopodia expressing cellular adhesion molecules
- basal lamina required–> LAMININ and FIBRONECTIN interact with growth cone adhesion molecules to guide axon sprouts
- schwann cells–> ensheathing schwann cells encapsulate the basal lamina/sprouting axons forming SC tube/column–> this tube guides growth cones toward innervations target –> the tube/schwann cells secrete growth factors and guidance molecules within the tube–> myelinating SC remyelinate each axonal outgrowth as it grows
**note that nerve regeneration is not perfect–> some axons do not find their innervation target leading to persistent deficits, the remyelination is not as extensive, and the rate of regeneration is 1-4 mm/day
what is a localized mononeuropathy? what are some examples?
fits specific peripheral nerve or nerve root distribution in the limb
i.e carpal tunnel
i.e nerve trauma site
“makes sense”
what is a regional neuropathy? what are some examples?
involves all nerve in a compartment of distal to a certain level of the limb
i. e compartment syndrome
i. e occluded major artery territory
what is a generalized polyneuropathy? what are some examples?
involves multiple sites, transient or otherwise
i.e patchy in MS
what % of diabetics will develop neuropathy within 25 years of diagnosis?
50%
what axons are affected first in diabetic neuropathy?
longest axons are affected first, resulting in a glove and stocking pattern of sensory and motor deficits
RE: neuropathies
define numbness
loss of sensation
RE: neuropathies
define dysesthesia
abnormal sensation on stimulus
RE: neuropathies
paresthesia
burning, pricking, tingling with NO stimulus
what are some examples of sensory neuropathy symptoms
numbness dysesthesia paresthesia neuropathic pain loss of proprioception/balance sensory loss results in injuries to extremities (i.e ulceration in diabetic foot)
what are some symptoms of motor neuropathy
weakness, depressed reflexes, muscle atrophy
what are some symptoms of autonomic neuropathy
can include orthostatic hypotension, diarrhea, impotence, incontinence
what is the etiology of diabetic neuropathy?
multifactorial etiology resulting in mixed axon loss and/or segmental demyelination (affects BOTH myelinated and unmyelinated axons)
what is the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy?
- vascular–> hyperglycemia causes hyperglycosylation of proteins–> causes constriction and capillary wall thickening and neural ischemia
- neuronal–> unmetabolised glucose enters the polyol pathway–> this forms sorbitol in neurons–> this stresses the neuronal membrane via osmotic water influx//in addition, there is oxidative stress from disrupted glucose metabolism
what is the etiology of compression neuropathy?
trauma, inflammation, tumour, entrapment in fibro-osseous tunnel (i.e carpal tunnel)
what is the pathogenesis of compression neuropathy?
- axon loss and segmental demyelination can occur
- pressure and stretch directly damage nerve membrane, black axonal flow and cause axon thinning
- ischemia in nerve following blood vessel compression
what is the procedure of an EMG?
apply a depolarizing electrical pulse to a peripheral nerve and measure the chance in electrical activity in the target muscle
what is the CMAP? (re: EMGs)
compound muscle action potential
represents summation of action potential from several muscle fibers in the same area
what does a decrease in CMAP amplitude on an EMG indicate?
usually due to axon loss or severely demyelinated axons (that will result in AP failure)
demyelination can also cause a decrease in amplitude through temporal dispersion
what does an increase in distal motor latency (which is the time from stimulation to onset of wave) usually indicate on am EMG?
usually due to axon demyelination
what does CMAP temporal dispersion on an EMG usually cause?
usually due to unequal demyelination of adjacent nerve fibers
this will result in some APs to arrive sooner than others which causes phase cancellation
in a normal nerve, responses arrive at the recording electrode almost together
in the case of unequal demyelination the responses arrive at different times causing phase cancellation leading to temporal dispersion (i.e lower amplitude with multiple peaks on wave)
how can an EMG be used to calculate conduction velocity?
measured by stimulation of the peripheral nerve at two sites and then applying the calculation:
difference in latency/difference in distance
decreased velocity is due to demyelination
what is the F wave?
EMG
measuring the M wave (response to the stimulation of alpha motor neuron) gives info about the peripheral segment of the nerves but yields no info on the proximal nerve roots
the F wave results from an antidromic AP that travels back to the nerve root via the alpha motor neuron, into the anterior horn cell, depolarizes the cell and causes an AP to shoot back out the axon into the target muscle
F wave latency therefore gives info on the proximal nerve root
it is useful in guillain barre because in the initial stages of the disease the proximal nerve roots are often affected before the distal parts of the nerve
in what disease are F waves of EMGs particularly useful in diagnosis?
guillain barre, because proximal nerve roots are often affected before distal parts of the nerve and the F wave gives info on this
MAKE SURE TO GO OVER ANATOMY
DO IT
what part of embryonic development of the CNS occurs in weeks 1 and 2?
development of the bilaminar embryonic disc
embryo goes from the 2–> 4–> 8 cell stage
forms the morula then the early blastocyst (with an inner cell mass and the trophoblast)–> then the late blastocyst
the inner cell mass goes thru segregation, delamination and hypoblast formation to form the epiblast on the outside, blastocoele and hypoblast on inside
what part of embryonic development of the CNS occurs in week 3?
gastrulation
- establishes 3 germ layers, axial orientation of the embryo and induces NEURAL PLATE
- primitive streak formed from migration of epiblasts to form a clump, which then migrates through the primitive groove to form mesoderm and endoderm layers
- primitive streak migrates rostral to caudal and gives rise to the neural plate
- epiblast also directly creates the ectoderm layer
- hypoblast gives rise to endoderm of yolk sac and extra-embryonic mesoderm (no embryonic endoderm input)
what part of embryonic development of the CNS occurs in week 3 and 4?
neurulation
- formation of NEURAL PLATE, NEURAL FOLDS and NEURAL TUBE are induced by notochord signals (sonic hedgehog)
- cranial neural tube closure involves both median and lateral hinge points creating a diamond shaped tube which gives rise to brain ventricles in the neural canal (spinal cord neural tube only has a median hinge point)
- neural crest cells migrate from the neural tube–> these are extremely pluripotent stem cells for cranial and sensory nerves
- neural tube closure occurs in a wave like pattern starting in several locations–> anancephaly results if it doesn’t zip at wave in brain region and spina bifida if doesn’t zip at wave in spinal region
- neuropores are the final points of closure–> anterior closure failure is life threatening whereas posterior failure just causes defects
what part of embryonic development of the CNS occurs in week 4 and 5?
brain development
develops from neural tube section cranial to 4th somites
3 primary brain vesicles: forebrain (prosencephalon), midbrain (mesencephalon) and hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
as the brain grows it bends and forms 3 flexures–>
- cephalic flexure (midbrain)
- cervical flexure (separates brain from spinal cord)
- pontine flexure (separates hindbrain)
- -> these flexures create two secondary brain vesicles –> the forebrain divides into the telencephalon (cerebrum) and diencephalon (-thalamus)//the midbrain doesnt divide and becomes the mesencephalon//the hindbrain divides into the metencephalon (pons, cerebellum) and myelencephalon (medulla)
cerebral hemispheres rapidly enlarge and separate into lobes, glia, and neurons proliferate
what sections of the neural tube form the brain?
develops from neural tube section cranial to the 4th somites