Exam 2 Flashcards
where are the cell bodies of LMNs located?
in the ventral horn of the SC
are LMN peripheral neurons?
yes!
what are the signs of a LMN lesion?
hypotonicity
hyporeflexia/areflexia
neurogenic atrophy
fasciculation/fibrillation
paralysis and paresis
do UMNs or LMNs lesions result in neurogenic atrophy?
LMN lesions
do UMN or LMN lesions result in disuse atrophy?
UMN lesions
what is hypotonicity?
low muscle tone (abnormally low resistance to passive motion)
what is muscle tone?
resistance to muscle stretch in resting muscle
what is flacidity?
more severe where there is an absence of resistance to passive movement
do UMN or LMN lesions result in resting tension close to none?
LMN lesions
why can hypotonicity lead to injury?
there is ligament laxity and hypermobility of the jts
lack of voluntary muscle control
what is the importance of the phasic stretch reflex/DTR?
it determines the integrity of the monosynaptic reflex and SC at different segmental levels
it determines the excitability of the alpha motor pool
is phasic stretch reflex the same thing as tonic stretch reflex?
no! tonic stretch reflex is abnormal
what does diminished input from motor neurons to skeletal muscles lead to?
hyporeflexia
what is neurogenic muscle atrophy?
rapid loss of muscles bulk due to denervation of skeletal muscle associated with LMN lesions
what chain of events lead to neurogenic atrophy?
lack of neural stimulation and contraction–>lack of gene expression–> changed protein production–>rapid atrophy
what is this describing?: a ground motor neuron is trying to innervate a lot of motor fibers but can’t support them so they die
neurogenic atrophy
what is fasciculation?
spontaneous quick twitch of a single motor unit (one motor neuron and all its fibers it innervates) that can be seen
not always pathological like an eyelid twitch
is a fasciculation pathological?
not always
when is fasciculation pathological?
with atrophy
what are some common causes of fasciculation?
too much caffeine
fatigue
what is fibrillation?
spontaneous contraction of muscle fibers that can’t be observed with the eye
pathological sign of denervation/electrolyte imbalance
what is fibrillation a sign of?
denervation
electrolyte imbalance
is fibrillation pathological?
yes!
what causes fibrillation?
muscles not getting enough ACh, so the receptors get dispersed and become hypersensitive to ACh
what is paralysis?
completely severed nerve with no way of getting signals to the muscles
is paralysis or paresis more common in LMN lesions?
paralysis
what is paresis?
cut a few nerve fibers w/remaining fibers leads to weaker muscles but not completely paralyzed
how are paralysis and paresis measured?
MMT and dynamometer
are these examples of UMN or LMN disorders?:
poliomyelitis
GBS
Erb’s palsy
Klumke’s palsy
myasthenia gravis (not really though)
LMN
what is poliomyelitis?
polio virus selectively destroys somas of MNs leading to denervation of muscle fibers and weakness of muscles
do poliomyelitis effect one or both limbs?
one limb
do the impairment of poliomyelitis last a lifetime?
yes:(
can there be some recovery in poliomyelitis? why or why not?
yes, bc it is PNS
is poliomyelitis worse in children or adults?
adults, it will result in quadriplegia
who is mostly effected by poliomyelitis?
children under 5 y/o
doe poliomyelitis have mostly motor or sensory symptoms?
mostly motor
what is post-polio syndrome?
overextension of surviving MN following poliomyelitis results in death of neurons that tried to take on orphan fibers
occurs years after initial viral infection
what are the s/s of post-polio syndrome?
increasing weakness
fatigue
jt and muscle pain from muscles fatigue (achy)
breathing difficulty
t/f: the s/s of the initial infection correlate to the severity of the post-polio symptoms
true
t/f: pts with post-polio syndrome are a fall risk
true
what is Erb’s palsy?
brachial plexus injury from birth trauma or falling in neck lateral flexion resulting in avulsion of C5-6 nerve roots
motor and sensory symptoms
arm paralysis
medial rotation or the shoulder, elbow extension, and wrist flexion
what is the pattern of sensory loss in Erb’s palsy?
dermatomal
what is the pattern of motor loss in Erb’s palsy?
myotomal
what LMN disorder results in the “waiter’s tip” deformity?
Erb’s palsy
what is the prognosis for Erb’s palsy?
usually pretty good but depends on severity of the initial injury
if a pt with Erb’s palsy makes a recovery when would this recovery occur?
about 9 months after birth
what is Klumpke’s palsy?
a brachial plexus injury from traction of an abducted arm that results in avulsion of C8-T1 nerve roots
sensory and motor loss
severe pain in the nerve path
atrophy of hand muscles
hyperextended MCP jts, flexion of PIP and DIP jts (intrinsic plus)
paralysis of intrinsic hand muscles, wrist flexors, and finger flexors/extensors
what LMN disorder results in the “claw hand” deformity?
Klumpke’s palsy
what are the UMN tracts?
lat/med corticospinal, lat/med vestibulospinal, reticulospinal, and rubrospinal tracts
what does the lat corticospinal tract control?
fractionated movement for fine object manipulation
what does the med corticospinal tract control?
posture
what UMN tracts come from the BS?
vestibulospinals, reticulospinal, and rubrospinal tracts
are the basal ganglia and cerebellum UMNs?
no!
what is the corticobulbar (cortico-brainstem) tract?
from the primary motor cortex to the CN nuclei in the BS decussation at different levels
controls muscles of the face, tongue, and neck (pharynx and larynx)
describe the innervation of the upper face
innervated by 2 UMNs
contralateral and ipsilateral innervation
redundancy bc it’s innervated by both sides of the cortex
describe the innervation of the lower face
contralateral innervation only
no redundancy=no compensation with damage to one side
what are the non-specific motor tracts?
emotional motor system
what activates the emotional motor system?
excessive limbic activity
t/f: there is poorer motor performance with high anxiety
true
how does the emotional motor system control movement?
modulates the activity of interneurons and LMNs
what is the ceruleospinal tract?
fast acting system
NE=induce sympathetic activity
slightly depolarized LMN makes it easier to excite
adrenaline in antinociception that suppresses pain perception
what is the raphespinal tract?
serotonin
modulation of LMNs
what are the signs of UMN lesions?
hypertonicity
disuse atrophy
abnormal reflexes
abnormal synergies
movement disturbances
impaired postural control
what is disuse atrophy?
slower progression of atrophy due to lack of muscle use
more mild than neurogenic atrophy
is paresis or paralysis more common in UMN lesions?
paresis
what is hypertonicity?
abnormally strong resistance to passive stretch
neuromuscular overactivity and excessive contraction from an UMN lesion
what are the 2 types of hypertonicity?
spasticity and rigidity
what is spasticity?
velocity-dependent increase in resistance to stretch
increased velocity=increased hypertonicity
should you move a limb slower or faster to avoid spasticity?
slower
what are the 2 mechanisms of spasticity?
1) hyperreflexia at the level of the SC
2) BS motor tracts overactivity
t/f: muscles shorten secondary to spasticity
true
what is rigidity?
velocity independent increase in resistance to stretch
constant resistance to passive movement regardless of the speed of the force applied
BS lesions above the red nucleus- produce what?
decorticate posture
what is the decorticate posture?
“arms to the core”
red nucleus- no longer under cortical inhibition=UE flexion
what is decerebrate posture?
results from lesion below the red nucleus but above the vestibular nuclei
no rubrospinal contribution for UE flexion=UE extension
vestibular nuclei no longer under cortical inhibition=UE extension
what is a common feature of both decorticate and decerebrate posture?
necks and trunk extension
typically in response to noxious stimulus (sternal rub)
what is reflex irradiation?
reflex test performed on one area results in reflex of another adjacent area
ie: reflect test of quad tendon results in hamstring and quad reflexes
ie: one side tendon tap results in rxn on both sides
what are signs of corticospinal tract (CST) damage (UMN)?
positive Babinski sign
positive Hoffman sign
what is a positive Babinski sign?
toes fan out w/stroking of the lateral plantar side of the foot
what is a positive Hoffman sign?
opposition of the thumb and index finger when the examiner flicks the nail of the middle finger down
what is clonus?
involuntary, repeating, rhythmic contractions of a single muscle group induced by muscle stretch, noxious stimulus, or voluntary movement
where is clonus commonly seen?
at the ankle
what injury commonly results in clonus?
SCI
what is the clasp knife response?
with slow stretch of paretic muscle, resistance is initially strong and sudden goes away
what is the result of a lesion in the corticospinal tract?
disinhibition of the reticulospinal tract
abnormal synergy patterns
loss of fractionation of movement
what is fractionated movement?
ability to isolate one jt movement from another
what is abnormal UE flexion synergy?
scap retraction, elevation or hyperextension
shoulder abduction and external rotation
forearm supination
wrist and fingers flexion
elbow flexion*
what is abnormal UE extension synergy?
scap protraction
shoulder adduction*, internal rotation
forearm pronation
wrist and fingers flexion
elbow extension
what is abnormal LE flexion synergy?
hip flexion*, abduction, and external rotation
knee flexion
ankle dorsiflexion
toe flexion
what is abnormal LE extension synergy?
hip extension, abduction*, and internal rotation
knee extension*
ankle plantarflexion* and inversion
toe extension
what are the pathological reflexes of UMN lesions?
(+) Babinski sign
(+) Hoffman sign
reflex irradiation
clasp knife response
what are the pathological reflexes of LMN lesions?
absent reflexes
what are the UMN disorders?
spina bifida
Arnold chairi malformation
MS
cerebral palsy
stroke
SCI
trauma (TBI)
tumor
what is the most frequently affected artery in strokes?
middle cerebral artery
what the pathology of a stroke?
interruption in blood flow to the cerebrum
what tracts are effected by stroke?
corticospinal tracts
corticoreticular tract
corticobrainstem tracts
what are the impairments in stroke?
contralateral motor impairments
contralateral sensory impairments: all face and body modalities
contralateral UMN signs
where do the upper and lower face get innervation from?
corticobulbar tract
if there is a lesion to the cortiobrainstem tract, what is the pattern of loss in the face?
UMN
paralysis of the contralateral lower face
if there is a lesion to the facial nerve(CN), what is the pattern of loss in the face?
LMN
no motor function on one side of the face
t/f: the raphespinal and ceruleospinal tracts may be able to produce a smile in the paralyzes lower side of the face with a corticobulbar tract lesion
true
is ALS an UMN or LMN disorder?
both
what is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?
selective destruction of motor neurons (LMN) and motor pathways (UMN) causes gradual onset of progressive muscle weakness
is ALS usually idiopathic?
yes