Exam 3 Flashcards
Inputs that converge on LMNs
-Upper motor neurons (influenced by Basal ganglia and cerebellum)
—-Cortex (corticospinal tract)
—-Brainstem tracts:
——-Reticulospinal
——-Tectospinal
——-Vestibulospinal
- Spinal cord pattern generators
- Reflexes
*More upper motor neurons, CPG neurons and reflex connections than LMNs
—LMNs integrate all of these inputs at their dendrites to determine whether to fire an AP
—AP of LMN always triggers contraction of skeletal muscle
**All communicate via VA/VL of the thalamus
Central Pattern Generators
- Networks of interneurons in the brainstem and SC that govern rhythmic, patterned movement
- Don’t involve tracts
- Humans rely on these for walking and breathing
- One part of network is inhibited, while the other is activated
*Higher areas tell CPGs to “start” or “stop” sequrences w/o having to command every single muscle involved
Pyramidal System
-Set of motor neurons in the cortex that are critical for voluntary movement of the body
—Areas: primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, sensory areas
- Originate in cortical layer 5
- Axons comprise the cortical efferent component of the brainstem
Cortical Efferent System
- Axons of the pyramidal system comprise it
1. Cell bodies- layer 5
2. Axons in the corona radiata
3. Axons in the internal capsule
4. Axons in the cerebral peduncles
5. Axons in the longitudinal fibers of the pons
6. Axons in the pyramids
7. 80% decussate, 20% don’t–> form lateral and ventral corticospinal tracts (respectively)
Upper Motor Neuron Cell Groups in the Brainstem
*Tracts travel in the ventral white matter of the spinal cord
-The tectum
—At level of the superior colliculus
—Origin of the tectospinal tract–> head turning reflexes in response to auditory and visual stimuli
-The reticular system
—Form the medullary and pontine reticulospinal tract
—Control upright posture by altering the activity
—–Trunk and proximal limb muscles
-The vestibular nuclei
—Part of the vestibular compex serves as origin of the vestibulospinal tract
—Mediate righting movements
***In the event of damage to axons of the pyramids, distal muscle movement is impacted (fingers) but not gross movement
Vestibular System
- Balance and spatial orientation
- Origin of the vestibulospinal tract
*Critical component of the motor system
*Inter-related to the cerebellum
-Inner ear structures–> tunnels carved into temporal bone, lined with membrane and filled with endolymph (K+ rich, important for hearing and balance)
—Transduces sound and percieves balance
- Projects into brainstem on CN 8
- Middle ear= ossicles
Cerebellum
**Refines movement based on comparing motor plan with peripheral feedback
—Recieves info from vestibular nuclei and vestibular nerve, cortex, and body
- Integrates balance and other spatial information w/ body position
- Provides feedback to UMN in cortex about real or intended movements
- Movement planning
**Critical component of the motor system
**Inter-related to the vestibular system
****Like a backseat driver, tells cortex when it is making a mis-calculation, but cannot alter the motor plan itself
Basal Ganglia
-Important for selection of motor plans and the inhibition of unwanted motor plans
**Critical component of the motor system
- Parts: Caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra
- Dorsal portions: circuits linking all of the cortex to UMN pools in regulation of voluntary movements (modulate beginning and end of movements)
- Ventral portions: Involved in limbic and behavioral loops w/ prefrontal cortex (modulate beginning and end of throughts/plans)
*Caudate+ Putamen= striatum–> involved in movement and behavioral disorders
The Inner Ear- Vestibular Apparatus
- Has different parts for sensing different directions of force
1. Semicircular canals–> Angular acceleration of the head
—X, y, z direction
—Start and stop of motion
- Otolith Organs= urticle and saccul–> Gravity and linear acceleration
*Haircells transduce motion
Otolith Organs
- Utricle and Saccule–> have hair cells anchored into a membrane with calcium carbonate crystals (Otoliths) on the surface
- Head movement causes the crystals to slide, bending hair cells and causing changes in membrane potential (interpreted as movement)
—Alters the activity of CN 8
-Detect static equilibrium-> gravity detectors, vertical and hortizontal acceleration (fire all the time, up or down when stimulus changes)
Semicircular Canals
-In the macula of each canal is a region of hair cells
—One end of hair projects into a gel mass (cupola) that bends with endolymph movement, then springs back into position
—Hair cells bending as the cupola bends leads to either a depolarization or hyperpolarization
—Hair cells release NTM on sensory neurons of CN 8, so bending of the hair cells causes changes in the pattern of APs being sent to the CNS
**Because the cupula springs back into position right away, best at detecting changes in motion (acceleration)
Vestibular Nuclei of the Brainstem
-Vestibular portion of CN 8 synapses here and the cerebellum
- Ascending projections from here to thalamus and cortex are responsible for perception of movement
- Feed into the MLF and initate eye movements in the direction opposite to the direction of head movement
- Descending MLF to the cervical spinal cord can direct head movements, and widespread connections of the vestibulospinal tract to the ventral horn trunk muscles can direct “righting” movements
Pathways into the cerebellum
- Spinocerebellar Pathways
–Bring info about position of individual body partd
- Vestibulocerebellar pathways
–Bring info from vestibular organs about whole body position in space
- Corticopontocerebellar pathways
–Brings the cortical plan into the cerebellum
- Olivocerebellar pathways
–Brings info to the cerebellum as part of learned repetitive movements
Pathways Out of the Cerebellum
-Main output from the cerebellum is via the Superior cerebellar peduncle
—Contralateral thalamus (VA/VL)
—Contralateral red nucleus
-Other outputs through other peduncles influence activity of vestibulospinal and reticulospinal pathways
3 Zones of the Cerebellum
- Vestibulocerebellum–>Control of balance and eye movements; performing, monitoring, and error prediction for trunk and eyes
–Cortex area= vermis (medial)
–Deep nucleus= fastigal
- Spinocerebellum–>Performing, monitoring, and error prediction for the limbs
–Cortex area=Paravermis (Lateral to vermis)
–Deep nucleus= Interposed
- Pontocerebellum–> Motor planning and learning (cognition)
–Cortex area= Lateral hemispheres (most lateral)
–Deep nucleus= dentate
Cortical regions of the Cerebellum and their associated nuclei
- Vermis–> fastigial nuclei
- Paravermis–> interposed nuclei
- Lateral hemisphere–> Dentate nuclei
*Neurons of the deep nuclei are output cells of the cerebellum
-Flocculus and nodule= flocculonodular lobe–> communicates with the vestibular pathways from the brainstem
General Cerebellar Circuit
-All inputs to the cerebellum are excitatory
—Spinal input ipsilateral
—Vestibular input ipsilateral
—Olivary input contralateral
—Pontine input contralateral
- Output of the cerebellar cortex is inhibitory from purkinje cells to deep nucleus
- Output of cerebellum deep nuclei is excitatory to thalamus and red nucleus
–Contralateral via SCP
Principal Cerebellar Efferents
- Limb and planning areas of cerebellum feed back to cortex
- Midline postural areas project to vestibular nuclei (thus, vestibulospinal tract centers) in the brainstem
Organization of the Cerebellar Cortex
- 3 layers:
1. Granule cell layer (deep)
2. Purkinje cell layer
3. Molecular layer (superficial) - 5 cell types:
–Purkinje cell (projection cell) is the main cell in the cerebellar cortex; it projects to and inhibits cells in the corresponding deep nucleus
–Granular cells= projection cell
Two major input fiber types in the cerebellar cortex
-Climbing fibers:
–Only come from the inferior olive
–Innervate the purkinje cells DIRECTLY by synapsing onto the cell body close to axon hillock
–One climbing fiber innervates only a few purkinje cells
-Mossy Fibers:
–Come from all other inputs
–Indirectly innervate purkinje cells via granule cells (project up to molecular layer)
–One mossy fiber activates hundreds of purkinje cells on their dendrites in the molecular layer
The Cerebellum and Movement
- Ensures movements are smooth and allow you to learn and refine new motor sequences
- When the cortex plans a movement, it sends the plan to the cerebellum
—Cerebellum simulates the action, looks for where alterations need to be made, makes adjustments and resimulates, all B4 action commences
-Example: It takes less time to reach for something close then something far; athletic visualizstion exercises
**Sequence of activation in voluntary movements
- Corticopontocerebellar–> motor planning
- Dentatothalamocortical–> how movement is adjusted
- Corticospinal–> Motor output
- Olivocerebellar–> learning movement/relive it
The Red Nucleus
-Origin of the descending motor pathway controlling flexion of big muscles of contralateral upper limb (Not digits)
—Rubrospinal tract= gross movements
- Influence of rubrospinal tract= minor in humans if corticospinal tracts are fxning
- Significant involvement in motor learning loops w/ inferior olivary nucleus
Inferior Olivary Nucleus
-Works w red nucleus in a cerebellar loop
—Loop is associated w/ learning a repetitive motor activity
—Ex: swinging a golf club
Motor Learning Loop
-Red nucleus–> inferior olivary nucleus–> cerebellum–climbing fibers–> deep nuclei of cerebellum— SCP–> contralateral red nucleus
Pathway of Activation of Movement Simplified
-Cerebellum influences upper motor neuron cell groups
—Corticospinal
—Reticulospinal
—Vestibulospinal
—Rubrospinal
- UMNs influence LMNs in brainstem or spinal cord
- LMNs synapse directly to skeletal muscle
*Basal ganglia also have an indirect role in modulating motor activity, but do not directly influence LMNs
Relative Positions of the Caudate, Putamen, and Globus Pallidus
-Caudate and putamen separate as you move back along the lateral ventricle
—Become separated by the internal capsule during development
- Globus pallidus appears medial to the putamen
- Rostrally, the caudate and putamen lie together
—Work as a unit called the striatum
—The nucleus accumbens= the most ventral and anterior part of the striatum (disappears as we move more posteriorly)
Basal Ganglia Connections
- Inputs from widespread cortex to the striatum
–Multimodal association cortex
–Motor and somatosensory cortex
–Visual association cortex and auditory association cortex
–Frontal lobe areas for eye movement
- Striatum regulates activity in globus pallidus
–Striatum= input nucleus for the basal ganglia
- Globus pallidus inhibits thalamus
- Thalamus projects back to cortex frontal lobe
The Direct Pathway- Basal Ganglia circuitry
- Cerebral cortex excites the striatum
- The striatum inhibits the internus of the globus pallidus (GPi)
- The GPi sends less inhibitoy messages to the thalamus
- The thalamus can send more excitatory messages to the cortex–> More movement
***Overall, inhibition of the thalamus is turned down
**Inhibitory neurotransmitter of globus pallidus= GABA
**Corticothalamocortico-loops
The Indirect Pathway
- Cortex excites the striatum
- Striatum sends inhibitory message to the globus pallidus external (GPe)
- GPe cannot fire, so it cannot send inhibitory messages to the subthalamic nucleus–> STN fires more
- STN sends excitatory messages to the GPi–> GPi sends more inhibitory messages to the thalamus
- Thalamus sends less excitatory messages to the cortex
**Overall, indirect pathway will repress movements
Effects of the Subthalamic Nucleus on the corticothalamocortico-loop
- Uses glutamate as a NTM
- Increases the inhibitory drive on the thalamus by exciting the GPi
- Problems in the subthalamic nucleus–> increase in overall activity in the circuit–> hyperkinesa
**Ballismus= people cannot control their limbs–> flinging and jerking movements
**OVERALL, STN turns movement down by activating GPi, turns down the thalamus
Influence of the Substantia Nigra
-Dopamine from the substantia nigra leads to an increase in thalamic activity through:
–Excitation of striatum to GPi (uses D1 receptors to inhibit GPi)
–Inhibition of striatum to GPe
—Inhibits output of the STN (D2 receptors inhibit the indirect pathway)
-Problems with the substantia nigra–> decrease in thalamic drive on cortex–> hypokinesa
Basal Ganglia, Movement, and the Cortex
1.When the striatum is at rest-> the globus pallidus is tonically active-> the VA/VL complex of the thalamus is inhibited–>no excitation of the motor cortex
- When the striatum is active–> the globus pallidus is transiently inhibited–> VA/VL of thalamus is disinhibited so other inputs can excite it–> excitation of the motor cortex
Huntington’s Chorea/Disease
-Autosomal dominant inherited disorder caused by degeneration of cells in the caudate nucleus and cerebral cortex
—Loss of indirect pathway–> too much movement
-Symptoms commonly begin after child-bearing age and include a progressively developing chorea and dimentia
—Hyperkinesa
-Death w/in 15-20 years
*Affected individuals–> Large LVs
Parkinson’s Disease
- Loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic input to the striatum
- Leads to hypokinesia and bradykinesia–> too little movement and slowness of movement
—Difficulty initiating movement
-Parkinson’s gait= rigid arms, slow shuffling steps
Basal Ganglia and the Selection of Movement
-Contribution of basal ganglia to movement:
–Direct pathway–> releases an inhbitory “brake” on an intended movement
–Indirect pathway–> maintains/applies an inhibitory “brake” on movements
—Neurons in a surroundregion of the GPi are driven by excitatory inputs from the subthalamic nucleus–> supresses a broad set of competing motor programsthat would interfere with intended movement
-Overall, direct pathway disinhibits the thalamus, indirect pathway disinhibits the STN
Basal Ganglia Connections with the Cortex
- Basal ganglia regulates pools of UMNs from cortex
- Multiple loops–> body movement loop, oculomotor loop, prefrontal loop, limbic loop
*Caudate nuc +putamen= dorsal striatum
*GPi+ SNr= Dorsal pallidum
Limbic System
- Collection of brain structures near the top of the brainstem, bordering the ventricles
- Involved in emotion and memory
Function of the Limbic System
- Emotional coordination and regulation
- Primitive memory system for sensory experiences
—Recognizing situations with high relevance to survivial and reproduction and regulating avoidance/approach, action/counteraction, in these situations
—Threat/opportunity tracking system
- Close relationship to olfactory system–> smell evokes emotional memories
- Strong ties into associations areas of cerebral cortex
—Prefrontal cortex and posterior association cortex (parietal lobe)
—Behavioral regulation–> impulsivity vs postponement of gratification
-Limbic areas usually inhibit other limbic areas
—–All limbic areas influence the hypothalamus
The Triune Brain
- 3 stages of evolutionary development of the brain
1. Reptilian (Brainstem)- reflexes and primitive survival functions
—Feeding, digestion
—Sexual development and reproduction
—Autonomic fxns
- Paleomammalian (limbic system): emotion and memory
—Fear, anger, love, anxiety, aggression
—Remembering experiences that caused these to guide future actions
- Neomammalian (Neocortex): Highest level functions
—Thought, reasoning, analysis, self-regulation
—Overcoming the motor plans dictated by the lower areas
Strengths of the Triune Brain
- Explains how areas of the reptilian brain are arranged into nuclei or reticular formations
- Many areas of the limbic system have a 3-layered structure
- Cortex does seem to produce concious sensation
Weaknesses of the Triune Brain
- Some fxns span more than one of the stages
- Circuits sub serving aspects of emotion and emotional regulation extend through all 3 areas
- Places mammals at the top of the “brain game”–> however, evolution branches and is NOT linear
- Reptiles and birds have neocortical regions, they have just adopted a diff structural plan for it
Emotions
-Behavior-Emotions guide our plans for action
–Ex: fear leads us to take precautions
-Physiology-Cause changes to our bodies
–Ex: goosebumbs, sweating
-Feeling-Emotions are felt; often mapped on to the body’s own somatosensory system
–Ex: The crushing feeling of heartbreak
**We cannot decide our emotions, but we can deal with them and reason through them–> emotional intelligence
Sensory Association Corticies
- Insula, parietal lobe
- Various different theories of emotions emphasize one aspect or the other
- Emotions and feelings may be tied to social communication, honest signals for each other to learn from that are difficult to fake
Limbic Areas
- Located around the top of the brainstem, and boarders the lateral and third ventricles
- Major limbic areas= hippocampal formation, amygdala, cingulate cortex
- Other structures can have limbic functions but are not entirely limbic
—Ex: hypothalamus
-Fiber tracts (white matter) interconnecting these areas
–Fornix, stria terminalis, stria medularis thalamicus, cingulum
—–Form C shape
—-Part of the fornix makes up the foramen of monroe
The Limbic System in Relation to Ventricular System
- Hippocampus lies inferior and medial to the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle; connected to the basal forbrain nuclei and hypothalamus via the fornix
- Amygdala sits anterior and superior to the lateral/temporal horn of the LV
Responses Involve Different Combinations of Motor Output
- Volitional movement has more access to the somatic motor system
- Emotional expression system has more access to the autonomic NS and some parts of the somatic NS
*Movement and expression systems are separated at their higher levels, but converge at lower levels
—We don’t have concious control of our emotions, yet we can wrestle with how our emotions affect our actions
Hypothalamus and the Limbic System
- Limbic system regions are densely connected to the hypothalamus
- Cortex, Basal forebrain, amygdala, and hippocampus feed into the hypothalamus
- Hypothalamus sends output to pituitary, brainstem regulatory areas, and autonomic NS
*Hypothalamus has subnulcei that mediate emotional behavior and the endocrine system–> connections to brainstem and CN nuclei
Spatial Relationship Among Key Limbic System Components
- Ventral forebrain structures
- Hypothalamus and basal forebrain= centrally located
Neocortical Components of the Limbic System
-Orbitofrontal cortex–> social and emotional decision making
—Flavors info from olfactory system
-Insular cortex–> “feelings”- mapping of emotions onto the body
—When we experience emotions as feelings
Cortical Comonents of the Limbic System
- Parahippocampal gyrus– memory
- Cingulate gyrus
—-Anterior- motivation; other areas involved in emotional expression/ behavioral responses
-Medial Prefrontal Cortex- Involved in inhibiting learned emotional responses
—Emotional control/regulation
The Olfactory Pathway
- Air-borne odors dissolve in fluid in nasal cavity
- Dissolved chemicals open ion channels and depolarize the olfactory receptor neurons- leads to formation of APs encoding smell info
- Nasal olfactory receptor neurons project through the cribiform plate (traveling via CN 1) synapse directly onto the olfactory bulb neurons
- Olfactory bulb neuron’s axons extend through olfactory tracts and into the brain
Olfactory Receptors Proteins
-Unique because:
—Found on neurons; cells for other senses are non-neuronal and pass the signal to neurons
—Life span= 60 days; long compared to other senses
—Regenerated throughout life through the division of basal stem cells
-We can detect over 1 trillion different odors using 400 receptors
—Combo of receptor activations determine smell
-Bipolar= part projects into fluid of nose, part synapses onto the glomerulus (where signals of 1st order olfactory receptor neurons pass to 2nd order in olfactory bulb mitral cells)
—-Axons of mitral cells make up the olfactory tract
The Olfactory Bulb
- CNS tissue
- 2nd order neurons (Mitral cells) send axons back via olfactory tract
*Smaller in humans than animals
-Neurons of the olfactory bulb (mitral cells) synapse directly into limbic areas of the cortex
—All other senses use thalamic nuclei , don’t synapse directly
—Therefore, smell= 1st order sensory receptor–> 2nd order in CNS–> limbic system
Where do axons of the olfactory tract synapse?
- Primitive (limbic) cortex; olfactory tubercle and the piriform cortex (anterior temporal lobe)
—Awareness of smell
—only sensory system w/ direct connection to the cortex
- Medial dorsal nucleus of the thalamus–> relays to orbitofrontal cortex in frontal lobe
—Concious discrimination of smell
—-Comparison w/ memory bank–> ID of smell
—-No clear topography of good vs. bad smell
- Hypothalamus and limbic areas via entorhinal cortex and hippocampus
—Memory and emotional components of smell
**Extra: directly connects w/ amygdala body and parahippocampal gyrus
Two Forms of Long-term Memory
- Medial temporal lobe= critical in forming memory
1. Explicit (declarative)–> Facts (semantic) + Events (episodic)
—–Medial temporal lobe, hippocampus
- Implicit (Nondeclarative)
—-Priming–> Neocortex
—-procedural (skills and habits)–> Striatum
—-associative learning (classical and operant conditioning)—> Amygdala and cerebellum
—-Nonassociative learning: habituation and sensitization–> Reflex pathways
Stages of Memory Formation
- Stimulus –perception–> sensory memory**—attention—> short term memory**—encoding—> LTM**
**= Susceptible to forgetting
-Short term and long term memory can be retrieved
Hippocampal Fomation
- Made up of the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus
- Recieves input from most assocation areas of the brain
- Neocortical inputs to the hippocampus–> get highly processed emotionally relevant sensory perceptions
—Cholingergic from basal forebrain via fornix
—Noradrenergic from locus ceruleus via median forebrain bundle
—Serotonergic from raphe via the median forebrain bundle
—Dopaminergic from the midbrain tegmentum via median forebrain bundle
**NTMs help form declarative memory
Hippocampus and Memory
-Memory of concious facts (explicit memory, NOT motor memory)
—STM–consolidation–> LTM
—Retrieval of LTM doesn’t require the hippocampus
—–LTM stored in neocortical areas where sensation was first percieved
*Patient HM: Hippocampus removed bilaterally–> explicit memory harmed but not motor memory
Anterior-Posterior Differences in the Hippocampus
- Anterior: Active when viewing novel info
- Posterior: Active when viewing familiar material; LTM formation?
Hippocampal Formation and Navigation
- Interaction in 3D space
- L/R differences
—L= encoding language related information
—R= encoding spatial relationships
*Cab driver study–> Hippocampus= bigger after memorizing cab routes to become a cab driver
The Amygdala
- L and R; Lies at anterior end of the inferior horn of the LVs; deep to uncus
- Recieves input from sensory cortex, olfactory pathways and basal forebrain
—Sensory cortex info used to determine fearful vs nonfearful stimuli
—-Direct connections from diff regions of thalamus
-Involved in generating fearful or agressive responses (link btwn fear and agression)
—Also active during feeding and reproduction
*Lesions–> docile animals w/ no fear
Outputs of the Amygdala
-Project to areas that are important for emotional expression
—-Parabrachial nuclei and some cranial nerve nuclei (facial expression)
-Stria terminalis–> connects amygdala to basal forebrain nuclei
—BNST-> Keeps track of fearful stimuli, involved in anxiety
-Projects to pituitary and places of autonomic fxn (ex: vagus nerve)
—-> Stress hormones
The Fornix
-Bi-directional white matter tract that carries info btwn hippocampus and hypothalamus/basal forebrain areas
—Continuous w/ the hippocampus
- C-shaped
- Connects to septal area in basal forebrain, mamillary bodies of the hypothalamus, and nucleus accumbens
Basal Forebrain Nuclei
- Grey matter that includes: nucleus accumbens, septal nuclei, nucleus basalis of meynert
- Located anterior and lateral to hypothalamus; around anterior portion of basal ganglia
****Nuc accumbens= part of basal ganglia and limbic system
-Nuc accumbens begins at olfactory tubercle (anterior boundary); in a coronal section joins the anterior putamen with the anterior caudate
The Nucleus Accumbens
-Nuc accumbens begins at olfactory tubercle (anterior boundary)
—Lies inferior to head of caudate and rostral and of the putamen
-Involved in pleasure pathways and substance abuse
—> Electrical stimulation induces profound sense of well-being
-Recieves dopaminergic projections from the VTN
Septal Nucleus
- Involved in reward and reinforcement w/ nuc accumbens
- Stimulation–> Sexual sensations
- Location- Ventral to septum pellucidim, near anterior commissure
—Connects w/ amygdala via stria terminalis
—Connects w/ Habenula via stria medullaris thalamicus (bidirectional)
—Connects w/ hippocampus via fornix
—-Colinergic projections
Drug Dependency and the Nucleus Accumbens
- Most drugs of dependency act on the dopamine circuit to the nuc accumbens
- Nicotine causes VTN neurons to fire faster
- Opioids and ethanol block transmission from inhibitory neurons that influence VTN neurons
- Cocaine inhibits reuptake of dopamine
- Cannabinoids–> euphoric sensation
Nucleus Basalis of Meynert
- Activated with new stimuli–> Arousal, sustained attention
- Cholinergic projection from here to cortex is important for cognition
—–Loss= dementia
-Location- Base of forebrain inferior to anterior commissure
Types of Injury in the Nervous System
- Disease of the nervous system
- Metabolic disorders
- Local environmental disruptions
Diseases of the Nervous System
- Result of genetic and environmental interactions
- Symptoms are highly varied and depend on regions of the nervous system affected
Ex: Neurodegenerative, autoimmune
Metabolic Disorders
- Oftem results of systematic problems that affect neural (and non-neural) tissue
- Widespread damage by may affect vulnerable neurons
- Blood supply issues, chemical imbalances, vitamin deficiencies
- Ex: Diabetic neuropathy
Local Environmental Disruptions
- Focal damage or disruption caused by external forces acting on the nervous system
- Symtoms= highly varied and depend on the regions of the nervous system affected
- Can occur quickly or over time
Ex: axonal injury
Themes of Nervous System Injury
- Due to convergence in motor systems, injury can lead to imbalances in activity in one circuit over another
—Ex: Pupil size, eye position
2.Because of divergence in processing, information has more than one way to get into the brain
—Ex: Concious vs reflex processing of vision; can mask symptoms of an injury
- Evolution left us with parallel, redundant pathways
—Ex: Fine touch via. DCML vs Crude touch via Anterolateral Tract
- Slow changes to the Nervous System are forgiving, rapid changes are less forgiving
—Ex: Chiari malformation vs Brian Herniation
- Perception is different from sensory input and is cortex dependent
–Ex: touch on sholder; not aware of reflexes until they are percieved
Chiari Malformation
- Cerebellar tonsils are pulled through the foramen magnum slowly as the brain develops
- Nonfatal
Brain Herniation
- Rapid displacement of the brain through foramen magnum due to pressure difference
- Fatal due to brainstem compression
Structure of a Peripheral Nerve
- Epineurium= outer layer
- Perineurium= connective tissue around fasicles
- Endoneurium=Around axons and schwann cells
—Axons are myelinated/ensheated by schwann cells
-Blood vessels w/in nerves supply axons, glia, and connective tissue
*Larger nerves have more fasicles and are myelinated; smaller=less fasicles and are ensheathed
*Sensory vs motor axons look identical; but any one axon is either sensory OR motor, not both
Two Main Components of the PNS
-Sensory and motor neurons
—Bundled together in peripheral nerves with sympathetic postganglionic axons
—DRG cells- Sensory nerve endings at muscle, AP occurs at trigger point and heads toward CNS
—LMN- cell body in CNS, synapses to muscle and releases ACh for muscle contraction; trigger point near cell body
—Sympathetic post gang.- Pregang in CNS releases ACh on postgang; postgang releases norepi and epi onto smooth and cardiac muscle (BVs)
Peripheral Neuropathies
- Conditions that result when nerves that carry messages btwn the brain and SC from and the rest of the body are damaged or diseased
- Manifests probs in somatic sensory, somatic motor, and autonomic
—-Depends on specific nerve and how it is injured
*Damage affects nerves, not single axons–> sensory and motor issues, not just one
Paresthesia
- Damage to peripheral sensory axons in a nerve that leads to altered sensation
- Sensory signs: tingling, burning, numbness (anesthesia)
Damage to peripheral sensory components in a nerve
- Damage to cell body:
–Diseases that target sensory neurons
–Trauma to DRG (herniated disk, broken bone)
- Damage to sensory axons from muscle
–Abnormal reflexes or no reflexes because sensory limb is absent
–Abnormal muscle fxn
- Damage to sensory axons from skin
–Abnormal pain, touch, vibration, temperature, etc.
Damage to Peripheral Motor Axons
-Leads to motor unit failure
—Movement cannot occur because APs cannot reach muscle
—Motor unit= LMN and all the muscle fibers it innervates
Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome
- Signs resulting from LMN damage
1. Atrophy=wasting of muscles that aren’t activating
—Normally, axons keep muscles alive w/ trophic factors
- Paresis= Muscle weakness if some motor axons to muscle are damaged
- Flaccid paralysis= If all motor axons to muscles are damaged
—Muscles cannot contract
- Areflexia= loss of reflex activity in the muscle
*Fasciculations and Fibrillations
How do we determine which muscle or skin area is affected by peripheral damage?
- Determined by which spinal nerve or peripheral branch is affected
- Effects of damage closer to SC are different than those closer to target
The Median Nerve of the Brachial Plexus
- Proximally (close to origin near sholder), a peripheral nerve contains many fasciles of axons
- Fasciles branch away from the parent nerve as it travels down the limb
- Nerve= smaller in diameter distally and only contains a few remaining fasicles
*Therefore, damage that is more proximal leads to larger area affected and longer time for repair; distal damage= less area affected and less time for repair
Chromatolysis
- Reponse at cell body due to damage of an axon
- Characterized by fragmentation and dispersal of Nissl bodies and displacement of the nucleus
—-Growth cone grows back out through nerve to re-innervate target
- Occurs in DRG if sensory, ventral horn if motor
- Nissl bodies= rough ER that make membrane-bound proteins
–Disperse throughout cell body, increase surface aea–> need to create new proteins to create new axons
-Schwann cells and macrophages clear debris
Wallerian Degeneration
-Response of axon distal to injury
—Dissolving of axon disconnected from cell body
- Endoneurium remains intact
- Schwann cells abandon myelinating and differentiate into repair mode
—-Help phagocytes clear debris
—-Release trophic factors to help “stump” regrow
Guiding of Axon Regrowth in PNS
- Guided by the prescence of the remaining endoneurial/basal lamina tube
- Regeneration= 5 mm/day–> quick
- Axonal sprout keeps schwann cells alive and keep dividing
–Growth cone extends distally along the surface of schwann cells
—–Once cone passes schwann cells, they revert back to myelinating schwann cells
Surgical Repair of Peripheral Nerves
- Via nerve suture
- Recovery of function is not guaranteed
- Better recovery when repaired immediately after injury; better recovery in younger people
- Surgeons re-align fascicles so motor and sensory match up
Nerve Compression Syndromes
- Impingement of nerves by neighboring structures
- If compressed long enough, damage may be permanent (LMN syndrome)
- Ex: Carpal tunnel syndrome= compression of median nerve entering wrist–> atrophy of muscles at base of thumb
—Treatment= removing source of compression
-Ex: Ulnar nerve entrapment
—Muscles around the ulna become enflamed and compress the ulnar nerve–> sensory problems in pinky and finger, motor problems in hand