Descending Tracts Flashcards
What area does the ventral medial descending system primarily receive fibers from?
- Cortical area 6
Where is the ventral medial descending system located in the spinal cord (when viewed in A-P cross-section)?
- Ventro-medial portion of intermediate gray matter
What funiculi are the tracts of the ventral medial descending system located within?
- Ventral, and ventral lateral funiculi
What type of interneurons do the tracts of the ventral medial descending system synapse on?
- Long propriospinal interneurons
If one side of the ventral medial descending system is damaged, is the system comprised unilaterally? Why or why not?
- The ventral medial descending system is bilaterally distributed meaning left and right both contribute control to theleft and right
Why does the ventral medial descending system have many synapses?
- It has a high degree of collateralization
What is the effect on the musculature of the ventral medial descending system due to dense collateralization?
- Large groups of muscles are activated together
What is the function of the muscle groups innervated by the ventral medial descending system?
- Postural, and stabilization by synergistic action of axial and proximal muscles
What 5 tracts make up the ventral medial descending system?
- Lateral vestibulospinal
- Medial vestibulospinal
- Lateral reticulospinal (medullary)
- Medial reticulospinal (pontine)
- Tectospinal
Where in the spinal cord are long and short proprioceptive interneurons located? (viewed in A-P cross-section)
- Long is medially located
- Short is laterally located
What are the alternate names of the medial and lateral reticulospinal tracts?
- Lateral reticulospinal –> Medullary
- Medial reticulospinal –> Pontine
Which reticulospinal tract is tonically active?
- Medial/ Pontine
What muscle groups are activated and inhibited by the medial/ pontine reticulospinal tract? What is the function of this?
- Extensors activated
- Flexors inhibited
- Drive upright posture
How does the medial/ pontine reticulospinal tract travel through the spinal cord?
- Travels down ventral medial funiculus
- Enter gray matter, and synapse on alpha motor neurons
What muscle groups are activated and inhibited by the lateral/ medullary reticulospinal tract?
- Flexors activated
- Extensors inhibited
Which reticulospinal tract is more dominant?
- Medial
What structure are the vestibular nuclei located within, and what system are they connected to?
- Nuclei found within medulla
- Connected to vestibular system within inner ear
Which vestibular tract is not billateral?
The lateral
Which vestibular tract only has phasic properties?
- The lateral
Which vestibulospinal tract is monosynaptic?
The lateral
Is the lateral vestibulospinal tract ipsilateral or contralateral?
Ipsilateral
What is the origin of the tectospinal tract?
The tectum on the midbrain
What are the 2 lateral descending tracts?
- Rubrospinal
- Ponto spinal
Which of the 2 lateral descending systems originate from the reticular formation?
- Pontospinal
Where is area 6?
- Anterior to the central sulcus
Where is area 4?
- The precentral gyrus
From what area in the cortex do the fibers of the lateral descending system originate from?
Area 4
What type of representation does the lateral descending system display? (Which side of the body does the position of the origination of the tract correspond with?)
Contralateral representation
Where is the lateral system found in the gray matter of the cerebrum?
- Lateral and dorsal portions of intermediate gray
Where is the lateral descending system found the medulla?
- Dorsal-laterally
Where is the lateral descending system found in the spinal cord?
The lateral funiculus
What types of neurons are found in the intermediate gray?
Short propriospinal interneurons
Where does the rubrospinal tract originate from?
The red nucleus
Does the rubrospinal tract innervate proximal or distal musculature?
Distal
Does the rubrospinal tract provide discrete or gross control?
Discrete
What is the major function of the rubrospinal tract?
Fractionalizes movement, especially of distal musculature
What will a lesion of the rubrospinal tract cause?
- Decreased dexterity of fingers and distal musculature
Does the rubrospinal tract drive flexors or extensors?
Flexors
From where does the pyramidal system originate?
- Directly from cerebral cortex
Where is the pyramidal system located in the spinal cord? (x-section)
- Laterally
How much collateralization is found in the pyramidal system?
Very little
What systems does the pyramidal system feed into?
- Ventral and lateral
What are the 2 main functions of the pyramidal tract?
- Voluntary control
- Very highly fractionalized movement
What special types of movements are the pyramidal tracts involved in?
- Movements that require learning and selection
What effect does the pyramidal system have on sensory input?
Modulation (especially at the dorsal horn)
What representation does the pyramidal system have?
Contrallateral
What percent of the pyramidal system goes to the lateral cell column? The medial?
85 % lateral
15 % medial
Which system is most responsible for pathology in humans?
The pyramidal system
What are the 3 tracts of the pyramidal system?
- Lateral corticospinal
- Anterior corticospinal
- Tract of barnes
What is another name for the pyramidal system?
Volitional
What are some results of a lesion to the pyramidal system?
- LMNS
- Decreased muscle tone
- Decreased cutaneous reflexes
- Slow tendon reflexes
- Decreased initiation and execution of movement (especially digits)
- Weakness
- Fatigability
Where do the tracts of the pyramidal system split?
In the spinal cord
What is the tract of barnes?
The ~ 2 % of the pyramidal system that stays ipsilateral through the spinal cord