Reticular formation and cerebellum Flashcards
The reticular formation is important in the regulation of:
- posture
- some stereotypic motor behaviors
- The internal environment
- Pain regulation
- Sleep and wakefulness
- Emotional tone
Reticular formation
- phylogenetically old
- Central core of the brainstem
- extends into the cerebrum as the hypothalamus
What are the three zones of the reticular formation?
- ) Raphe of Median
- ) Paramedian or Medial
- ) Lateral
What reticular formation zone is the most extensive?
The Lateral Zone
Raphe nuclei (location)?
Immediately adjacent to sagittal plane
Medial zone (location and charateristics)?
- located along side Raphe
- mixture of large and small neurons
- source of most ascending and descending projections
Lateral zone (location and characteristics)?
- Prominent in rostral medulla and caudal pons
- primarily involved in cranial nerve reflexes and visceral functions
Describe the neurons of the reticular formation (what they innervate, etc.) (add pic)
- Reticular formation neurons have extensive, complex connections
- may innervate multiple levels of spinal cord, brainstem, and thalamus
- Some have bifurcating axons that ascend and descend as seen above
Describe the two reticulospinal tracts?
- ) Medial: pons; ipsilateral, descends near MLF and in anterior funiculus
- ) Lateral: medulla, descend bilaterally, in lateral funiculus
Describe sleep paralysis (add to this card)
- Your cerebrum is active but your reticular pons is still suppressing body movement.
The reticular formation is a major alternative to what tract?
It is a major alternative to the corticospinal tract in regulating spinal motor neurons
Reticular formation and movement bullet points:
- ) Influences spinal motor neurons directly
- ) Regulates spinal relexes (So that only noxious stimuli evoke a reflex)
- ) Reticulospinal tract neurons receive input from many areas including cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, substantia nigra, etc.
- ) RF contains basic neural machinery for some complex patterned movements
- ) If you section brainstem-diencephalon junction in a cat and it still walks
Name some brainstem pattern generators of the reticular formation
- ) Gaze centers (midbrain vertical gaze center and Pontine horizontal gaze center
- ) Mastication (Supratrigeminal nucleus (pons)
- ) Medulla “Vital Center”
- locomotion (pons)
- Heart rate
- Respiration
- Swallowing, vomiting
Bruxism characteristics
- Jaw muscles are co-contracted (both opening and closing muscles are contracted at the same time)
- a stereotyped movement disorder
- tooth-grinding or tooth-clenching
Bruxism peripheral causes theory:
- malocclusion results in premature and one-sided contact.
- jaw movements continue in an attempt to reach the resting position
- This theory is based on clinical observation and experience with treatment
Bruxism central causes theory:
- sleep-related dysfunctions cause bruxism
- Input to supratrigeminal nucleus may be from basal ganglia, lateral hypothalamus, and central nucleus of the amygdala
Describe how the RF can modulate transmission in Pain pathways:
- Nervous system can suppress or facilitate pain, depending on circumstances (wounded solders on the battlefield who continue to function)
- Periaqueductal gray is central to one well described pain suppress system
Describe the importance of the PAG (periaqueductal gray) in the RF regulating pain: (add pic)
- PAG receives pain infor from the spinomesencephalic fibers
- PAG also gets input from hypothalamus, cortex, etc; may contain behavioral state info (should pain suppression be activated?)
- PAG to raphe then to posterior horn of spinal cord/ spinal V nucleus.
Describe the role of opiates in the RF pain regulation (add pic)
- One way opiates work to control pain is to activate PAG-raphe at multiple levels
- Opiate receptors are abundant in PAG, raphe, posterior horn of cord
- Raphe can inhibit STT directly (7) or indirectly by activating interneurons (8) that inhibit STT (7). Can also directly inhibit pain afferents (6)
- (Opiates can inhibit and modulate pain at multiple levels)
Where are your centers for controlling inspiration, expiration, and rhythm of breathing?
Pons and medulla
Where are your centers for controlling heart rate and blood pressure?
Medulla
Describe the RF and autonomic reflex circuitry
- A lot of visceral information reaches the RF
- Responds to environmental changes and projects to brainstem autonomic nuclei and spinal cord
- Comparable to pattern generators in motor control
Describe RF and arousal and consciousness
- RF projections to thalamus and cortex
- Midbrain and pons RF get input from multiple sensory modalities (e.g. pain; spinoreticular fibers)
- Project to thalamic intralaminar nuclei, which project diffusely to cortex
- Heightens arousal in response to sensory stimuli or tasks that demand attention.
- RF-thalamic intralaminar nuclear projections to cortex and monoamine reticular projections work together to modulate cortical activity
- Maintain consciousness(1-3)
1. ) bilateral damage to midbrain RF results in prolonged coma
2. ) Known as ascending reticular activating system (ARAS)
3. ) defined functionally; not an anatomic structure - ARAS also has a role in sleep-wakefulness cycle
Describe ARAS
- Ascending reticular activating system
- allows you to maintain consciousness
- also has a role in sleep-wakefulness cycle
Neurochemical signatures: What are the brainstem neurotransmitters?
Norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin
What are the hypothalamus neurotransmitters?
Histamine
What are the telencephalon neurotransmitters?
Acetylcholine
What are the Substantia nigra neurotransmitters?
Dopamine?
What are the ventral tegmental area neurotransmitters?
Dopamine?
What are the midbrain raphe nuclei neurotransmitters?
Serotonin
What are the pontine raphe nuclei neurotransmitters?
Serotonin
What are the Medullary raphe nuclei neurotransmitters?
Serotonin
What are the Locus ceruleus neurotransmitters?
Norrepinephrine
Name locations where you would find Norepinephrine receptors?
- Solitary nucleus (memory enhancement)
- Locus ceruleus (cortex (arousal) vigilance and attention)
- active in attentive situations
- moderate while awake
- low activity during sleep
- Ventraolateral medulla
- spinal cord- pain regulation
Describe the Noradrenergic projections
- They innervate practically the entire CNS; heavy projections to somatosensory cortex
- They will travel through the medial forebrain bundle on route to the thalamus, hypothalamus, and cortex?