Lecture 1 Flashcards
The vertebral column is divided into 5 sections:
Cervical (7) Rostral
Thoracic (12)
Lumbar (5)
Sacrum (Composite, 5 pieces)
Coccyx (Composite, 4 pieces) Caudal
The curved shape of the spine is created when infants:
Are learning to look up and sit up (Born with a straight/non curved vertebral column
Name the 3 anatomical sections of the vertebral column (Transverse view)
Body (Large anterior section), Spinous process (Posterior bony projection), Vertebral canal (Hollow center section holding the spinal cord - only about 50-75% of the space taken up by it)
The spinal nerves (Off of the spinal cord) are divided into 5 sections:
Cervical (8 pairs) - C1->C7 above vertebrae, C8->S5 below vertebrae
Thoracic (12 pairs)
Lumbar (5 pairs)
Sacral (5 pairs)
Coccygeal (1 pair)
Name and locate the landmarks of the spinal cord (4)
Cervical Enlargement - C4 vertebrae, C5 nerves (Brachial plexus)
Lumbar Enlargement - T12 vertebrae, L1/L2 nerves (Lumbar plexus)
End of the spinal cord - L2 vertebrae (S5 nerves)
Cauda Equina - No longer spinal cord, but spinal nerves off the spinal cord extend creating this “horses tail”
Spinal cord cross section: Ventral roots
Anterior side
Carries motor info out towards muscle
Spinal cord cross section: Dorsal roots
Posterior side
Carries sensory info back towards spinal cord
Spinal cord cross section: Gray matter
Anterior horn - muscle contraction
Lateral horn - cell bodies, autonomic nervous system
Posterior horn - taking in sensory info
Gray due to cell bodies of the neurons
Spinal cord cross section: White matter
Dorsal, ventral, lateral columns
White due to axons travelling down covered in myelin sheath
Types of info carried in spinal cord
Motor travels DOWN the spinal cord
Sensory travels UP the spinal cord
2 types of motor information and differences between them
Somatic
- Contraction of:
-Skeletal muscle
-Joints
-Aware and in control/voluntary
Autonomic
- Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, or gland
-Not always in control/involuntary (Not
consciously in control
-Ex. Contraction of bladder
- 2 types of autonomic info
2 types of autonomic information and differences between them
Sympathetic
- Fight or flight
Parasympathetic
- More important at rest
What is a dermatome?`
An area of skin supplied by a group of sensory axons (the same group) of a particular spinal segment (all innervated by the same nerve)
Explains where sensory info goes to first before travelling to brain (T3 = nipple line, T10 = belly button
What is a myotome?
The group of muscles innervated by a particular segment
Most segments innervate more than one muscle, and most muscles are innervated by more than one segment
What are the tracts of the spinal cord?
Very organized multi-lane highway going up and down bringing specific info in each lane
Ascending tract - sensory info to brain
Descending tract - motor info from brain to muscles