Neurology

Question 1

Did you know that every incoming sensory input to brain, puts out an autonomic visceral output response

Answer 1

true

Question 2

What % of brain output is to the brain and what is to the spinal cord

Answer 2

90% of brain output is to the brain, 10% of brain output is to the spinal cord.

Question 3

What are the 3 types of Nociceptors?

Answer 3

1. Thermal Nociceptors - activated by extreme temps
2. Mechanical Nociceptors- activated by pressure
3. Polymodal Nociceptors

Question 4

What is pain?

Answer 4

Pain is a perception that is activated by nocioceptive input. Pain is a combination of sensory, emotional and remembered experiences that is associated with potential and/or actual tissue damage.

Question 5

What is proprioception?
What are the 3 main types of Proprioceptors?

Where do they synapse and end up?

Answer 5

Proprioception is the sense of where ones own body and its parts are in space while at rest (limb-position sense) or in motion (kinesthesia), without the
use of vision. This sense is important in maintaining posture and controlling movement. Three types of mechanoreceptors send signals that tell the nervous system the stationary position of the limbs as well as the speed and direction of their movement. These three are:

Muscle Spindle Cell, Golgi Tendon Organ and joint receptors

They synapse in the Medulla, and goes into contro-lateral Cortex

Question 6

1. Muscle Spindle Cells (MSC’s)
   where are they located and what do they detect?
2. Golgi Tendon Organs
3. Joint Mechanoreceptors

Answer 6

Located in muscle belly and register changes in muscle length and joint movement. The faster the stretch the higher the Frequency of Firing.

2. GTO- located in tendons and used to monitor contractile force or effort excerted by group of muscle fibres.
   - they are primarily inhibitory and have function of protection.
3. receptors located in the JOINT CAPSULE that sense position of the joint.

Question 7

What is Reciprocal Inhibition??

Answer 7

describes the process of muscles on one side of a joint relaxing to accommodate contraction on the other side of that joint. Joints are controlled by two opposing sets of muscles, extensors and flexors, which must work in synchrony for smooth movement.
Reciprical inhibition is a neuromuscular reflex which plays a significant role in improving the efficiency of the movement system, and creating ideal arthro-kinematics.

Question 8

What is Cross Cord Reflex/ Cross over Patterning

Answer 8

describes a reflex that involves muscles in both
extremities.
An example for this reflex is the reaction when a person steps on a nail. The leg that is
]
stepping on the nail pulls away, while the other leg takes the weight of the whole body.
The crossed extensor reflex is contralateral, meaning the reflex occurs on the opposite side of the body from the stimulus.

Question 9

What is Dysafferentation

Answer 9

Dysafferentation describes an imbalance in the afferent input to the CNS.
A Joint dysfunction with a decrease of joint mobility leads to a reduction of large diameter (1A and 1B) mechanoreceptor firing and an increase in small diameter (A-delta and C) nociceptor firing.Because of the divergence of sensory input along the nero-axis, dysafferentation can lead to changed frequency of firing of many postsynaptic neurons.
Dysafferentation can have great systemic ramifications on animal health.
The efficiency of a joint is dependent on the efficiency of the muscles that support it.
The efficiency of the muscles is dependent on the frequency of firing of the motor neuronal supply to the muscles.The frequency of firing of the motor neurons depend on the summation of neural influences in a multi-modal system
The summation of neural influences is dependent on spinal cord reflexes and suprasegmental (brain), integration of sensory input from the environment
The large majority of receptor influence on spinal reflexes and brain integration is from muscle spindle cells, golgi tendon organs and joint mechanoreceptors in response to the earth’s gravitational field.
Influence on suprasegmental structures
The post synaptic-pool of neurons is dependent on a frequency of firing of pre-synaptic neurons
Brain structures like cerebellum, thalamus and cortex are dependent on a frequency of firing of mechanoreceptors, so dysafferentation could lead to trans-neural degeneration, and ultimate nerve death.
If there is a joint injury or aberrant joint mechanics, the most efficient way to treat it is to change the sensory input to the system. A very effective way to achieve this is the chiropractic adjustment.
The largest impact of the chiropractic adjustment is on the muscle spindle cell output via 1a afferents to the neuro-axis.