Orientation Week Flashcards
How does information arrive at the cell body of an excitable cell?
Via dendrites
What happens to the information that arrives at the cell body of an excitable cell?
Its assimilated and processed
What happens to the processed information in the cell body?
Digitised into action potentials which are transmitted along the axon
The larger the diameter of the axon, the ______ the resistance is. And so larger axons have faster _______ charge movement?
- Lower
- Passive
The more surface area there is on an axon, the _____ its capacity to store charge across its membrane?
Higher
What is the fastest speed a libra can carry a signal at?
250 mph
What does the voltage dependent Na channel help to set up?
Refractory period of action potential
Where are Schwann cells found?
Peripheral nervous system
Where are Oligodendrocytes found?
Central nervous system
Describe local currents in a myelinated axon?
Saltatory (jumping) conduction
In a myelinated axon where is the only place an action potential can occur?
Node of Ranvier
What approximate size is the synaptic gap?
20nm
What helps the binding of the vesicle and cell membrane at the bouton?
SNARE proteins
What catalyses membrane fusion at the bouton?
Ca2+-bound synaptotagmin
What 3 things can happen to inactivate neurotransmitters?
- Diffusion
- Re-uptake
- Enzymal inactivation
What are the 2 different types of receptors?
- Ionotropic (directly gate ion flow)
2. Metabotropic (indirectly gate ion flow or active other pathways)
How do most receptors code the duration and magnitude of external signals?
Using a generator potential
What does stronger external signals sent to receptors result in?
Higher frequency of action potentials in the axon
What are stretch reflexes mediated by?
Sense organs within muscles known as muscle spindles
Describe the 3 parts of the spindle fibre mechanism?
- Contractile (gamma MN’s) & elastic portion
- Less elastic/contractive sensory portion
- Contractile (gamma MN’s) & elastic portion
In peripheral spinal nerves what does rootles converge to become?
Roots
In peripheral spinal nerves what does the ventral & dorsal roots converge to become?
Spinal nerve (mixed, motor & sensory)
Is a ventral root sensory or motor?
Motor (efferent)
In peripheral spinal nerves what does the spinal nerve divide into?
Ventral & dorsal rami (mixed, motor & sensory nerve fibres)
What are the 5 steps to withdrawal when a lit match is help to a bare foot?
- Aδ & C fibres in skin detect noxious stimulus
- Aδ & C fibres synapse with inhibitor interneurons
- Aδ & C synapse with α-motor neurons for flexor muscles
- α-motor neurons to the extensor muscle are inhibited
- α-motor neurons to the flexor muscles are excited & flexors contract, resulting in withdrawal
List the 4 different neurons in the spinal nerve from posterior to anterior?
- Somatic sensory neuron
- Visceral sensory neuron
- Visceral motor neuron
- Somatic motor neuron
What resides in the grey matter of the spinal cord?
Cell bodies
What resides in the white matter of the spinal cord?
Axons
What resides in the ventral horn (grey matter) of the spinal cord?
Somatic motor cell bodies
What resides in the lateral horn (T1-L2, grey matter) of the spinal cord?
Visceral cell bodies
What resides in the dorsal horn (grey matter) of the spinal cord?
Somatic sensory nerves/interneurons (cell bodies in dorsal root ganglion)
What is the terminology for the collection of nerve fibres (white matter) in PNS & spinal cord?
- Fascicle/bundle (nerve)
- Tract
What is the terminology for the collection of cell bodies (grey matter) in PNS & spinal cord?
- Ganglia
- Horns
What are the different vascular supplies of the spinal cord?
- 2 posterior spinal arteries (with veins)
- 1 anterior spinal artery (with veins)
- Segmental medullary arteries “supporting” the spinal arteries
- Internal vertebral venous plexus (extradural/epidural space)
Whats the clinical problem with the spinal cord venous system?
They do not have valves & pressure gradients permit blood flow which increases infection & metastasis spread
Whats the role of the anterior white commissure in the spinal cord?
- Pain & temp fibres cross
- Anterior corticospinal tract fibres cross
Whats the role of the fasciculus gracilis in the spinal cord?
Sensory (fine touch, vibration, proprioception) from ipsilateral lower limb
Whats the role of the fascicles cuneatus in the spinal cord?
Sensory (fine touch, vibration, proprioception) from ipsilateral upper limb
Whats the role of spinocerebellar tract in the spinal cord?
Proprioception from limbs to cerebellum
Whats the role of the lateral corticospinal tract in the spinal cord?
Motor to ipsilateral anterior horn
Whats the role of the spinothalamic tract in the spinal cord?
Pain & temp from contralateral side of the body
Whats the role of the anterior corticospinal tract in the spinal cord?
Motor to ipsilateral & contralateral anterior horn
What do peripheral nerves do?
Link spinal cord & brain to peripheral tissue
What is the arterial anastomosis in the spinal cord?
Extra & intervertebral arteries
What is the main arterial supply in the brain?
Intracranial arteries
What is the difference between the venous system in the spinal cord & in the brain?
- Spinal cord: venous plexus
- Brain: venous sinuses
What sign/s does a spinal cord pathology cause?
Lower motor neuron & Upper motor neuron signs
What sign/s does a intracranial pathology cause?
Only Upper motor neuron signs
Describe the location of an Upper motor neuron?
Above ventral horn/cranial nuclei, brain, brainstem & spinal cord
Describe the location of a lower motor neuron?
Ventral horn & below. Cranial or spinal nerve, roots, rami, plexus
What are typical signs of upper motor neuron lesions?
- Increased muscle tone (spasticity)
- Muscle weakness, but no wasting
- Hyperreflexia
- No fasciculations
- Extensor plantar response (+ babinski)
- Clonus
What are typical signs of lower motor neuron lesions?
- Decreased muscle tone
- Muscle weakness & wasting (atrophy)
- Hyporeflexia/areflexia
- Fasciculations
- No pathological plantar response
What does the Central Nervous system do?
Processes/integrates/learns and sends information
What are neurons?
Separate cells that communicate by releasing chemicals by secretion at the ends of cell processes
What is the purpose of microtubules in the axon?
Vesicle transport
Describe the different parts of an axon from top to bottom?
- Dendrites
- Cell body
- Nucleus (+ nucleolus)
- Axon hillock
- Axon
What does repeated stimulation of neuronal pathways modify?
Function of dendritic spines (long term potentiation)
Where does processing occur in the brain & spinal cord?
Grey matter
Where does communication occur in the brain & spinal cord?
White matter
What is horizontal plane also known as in imaging (CT & MRI)?
Axial
What makes up the central nervous system?
Brain & Spinal cord
What does diencephalon stand for?
“Between brain”
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
- Frontal
- Parietal
- Occipital
- Temporal
What lies on the floor of the lateral fissure of the brain?
Insula
What does the central sulcus in the brain separate?
Precentral gyrus & postcentral gyrus
What is another name for cerebral hemispheres?
Telencephalon
What lies within the diencephalon?
Thalamus & Hypothalamus etc.
What are the 3 parts of the brain stem?
- Midbrain
- Pons
- Medulla
What are the 5 fluid filled ventricles inside the brain?
- Lateral (x2)
- Interventricular foramen
- Third (head)
- Fourth (body)
- Cerebral aqueduct (neck)
What lies directly above the corpus callosum?
Cingulate gyrus
What is the largest bundle of white matter?
Corpus callosum
How many cranial nerves are there?
12 (most exit ventrally)
What 2 joints in the skull allow some form of movement ?
- Temporomandibular joint
- Atlanto-occipital joint
What 3 different types of bones make up the skull?
- Flat
- Irregular
- Pneumatised
What is a Pneumatised bone?
Bones with air spaces such as the frontal, temporal, sphenoid & ethmoid
What are the 4 functions of the skull?
- Protection
- Attachment for muscles
- Framework for the head
- Gives our identity
What are the 3 divisions of the skull?
- Neurocranium
- Viscerocranium (facial skeleton)
- Mandible
How many bones are there in an adult skull?
22
What is the neurocranium?
Bony case of brain including cranial meninges with a dome-like roof (calvaria) & floor (cranial base)
What is the viscerocranium?
Anterior part of the cranium that consists of bones surrounding the oral cavity, nasal cavity & most of the orbit
What 6 bones make up the Neurocranium?
4 singular midline & 2 bilateral paired bones
- Frontal
- Parietal (x2)
- Occipital
- Sphenoid
- Temporal (x2)
- Ethmoid
What 9 bones make up the Viscerocranium?
15 irregular, 3 singular midline & 6 bilateral paired bones
- Ethmoid
- Palatine (x2)
- Lacrimal (x2)
- Nasal (x2)
- Zygomatic (x2)
- Vomer
- Inferior nasal concha (x2)
- Maxilla (x2)
- Mandible
What are the 3 main features of the Viscerocranium?
- Zygomatic arch
- Mandible
- Infratemporal fossa
What are the 4 main features of the Neurocranium?
- External acoustic meatus
- Styloid process
- Mastoid process
- Temporal fossa
What are the borders of the temporal fossa?
- Sup & Post- sup & inf temporal lines
- Ant- frontal process of zygomatic bone
- Inf- infratemporal crest deep to zygomatic arch
- Floor- pterion
What is the Pterion?
H-shaped junction of sutures (frontal, parietal, temporal, sphenoid) which is structurally weak & vulnerable to injury
What does the Pterion overlie?
Anterior branch of middle meningeal artery
What can trauma to the Pterion lead to?
Extradural/epidural haematoma
What are the 4 flat bones of the calavaria fused by?
Coronal, sagittal & lambdoid sutures
Describe Fontanelles?
- Space between the bones of the skull in infant/fetus, where ossification is not complete & sutures not fully formed
- Main one is between the frontal & parietal bones (anterior fontanelle)
When do corners of frontal & parietal bones fuse?
By 18months
Describe the suture joint?
- Fibrous
- Limited or no movement (synarthrosis)
What 3 foramen’s in the anterior skull are involved in the divisions of the trigeminal nerve (CN V)?
- Supra-orbital notch
- Infra-orbital foramen
- Mental foramen
What are the 8 important craniometric points from posterior to anterior of the skull?
- Asterion
- Inion (protrude)
- Lambda
- Vertex
- Bregma
- Pterion
- Glabella (protrude)
- Nasion
What are the 7 foramen’s in the inferior external view of the cranial base?
- Foramen magnum
- Jugular foramen
- Carotid canal
- Foramen lacerum
- Foramen ovale
- Foramen spinosum
- Hypoglossal canal
What are the borders of the Infratemporal fossa?
- Lat: ramus of mandible
- Med: lat pterygoid plate of sphenoid
- Ant: post maxilla
- Post: Tympanic plate, mastoid & styloid processes
- Sup: infratemporal crest of sphenoid
- Inf: angle of mandible
What is the shallowest part of the cranial base?
Anterior cranial fossa
How do olfactory bulbs (CN I) receive nerve fibres from the nasal cavity?
Foramina of cribriform plate (olfaction)