Chapter 4: Spinal Cord (continued) Flashcards
The fasiculus cuneatus carries fibers from what spinal cord segments?
T5 and up
The DCML pathway is located in what part of the spinal cord?
dorsal columns
The fasiculus gracilis carries fibers from which spinal cord segments?
T6 and below
Where in the thalamus are the 3rd neurons of the DCML?
ventropostero-lateral nucleus VPL
What sensations are loss with damage to the DCML?
- joint position sensation
- vibratory and pressure sensations
- 2 point discrimination
- loss of ability to identify the characteristics of an object (asterognosis) (consistency, form, and shape)
How is Romberg sign tested?
asking the patients to place their feet together. If there is marked deterioration of posture (if patient sways) with eyes closed, this is a positive Romberg sign (DC lesion)
If patent has balance problems and tends to sway with eyes open = cerebellar damage
What sensations does the anterolateral pathway send?
pain, temperature, and crude touch sensations from the extremities and trunk
What is another name for the anterolateral system?
spinothalamic tract
Lissaur tract?
tract taken by anterolateral dorsal root fibers where they ascend or descend the spinal cord 1-2 segments down or up in the spinal cord
Where is the ventral white commissure located?
below the central canal of the spinal cord
Where do anterolateral system fibers cross the midline?
in the ventral white commisure
Where in the thalamus does the spinothalamic tract terminate?
in the VPL nucleus of the thalamus
Cells from the VPL that have received spinothalamic tract cords send pain and temperature information to which part of the brain?
primary somatosensory cortex in the postcentral gyrus
What sensory information does the spinocerebellar tract carry?
unconscious proprioceptive input from muscle spindles and GTOs to the cerebellum where this information is used to help monitor and modulate movements
What are the 2 major spinocerebellar pathways?
- dorsal spinocerebellar tract
- cuneocerebellar tract
The dorsal spinocerebellar tract carries information from what part of the body?
carries input from the lower extremities and lower trunk
The cuneocerebellar tract carries information from what part of the body?
carries proprioceptive input to the cerebellum from the upper extremities and upper trunk
Where are the cell bodies of the dorsal spinocerebellar tracts found?
in Clarke’s nucleus, which is situated in the spinal cord from T1 to L2
Where are the cell bodies of the cuneocerebellar tract found?
in the medulla in the external cuneate nucleus
What is the most common hereditary condition involving degeneration of the spinocerebellar pathways?
Friedreich ataxia
What are the areas of the spinal cord affected by Friedreich ataxia?
spinocerebellar tracts, dorsal columns, corticospinal tracts, an cerebellum
How to identify a cord section: If there is a large ventral horn?
C5 -T1 or L2 - S2