Somatosensory Pathways Flashcards
Loss of pain
Analgesia
Loss of touch
Anesthesia
Temporary mild pain, “pins and needles, tingling, burning, prickling”
Paresthesias
Chronic intense pain “shooting, stabbing or electric shock-like jolts”
Neuropathic Pain/Central Pain
Subsystem for processing different kinds of stimuli (physics/chemistry, receptor specificity and labeled line/pathway)
Modality
What are the three major long pathways in the CNS?
Corticospinal tract (CST), Dorsal Column-Medial Lemniscus System (DCMLS), and Spinothalamic Tract (STT)
The segregation of nerve cell axons that process the distinct stimulus attributes that comprise a particular modality
Parallel pathways
Responsible for fine touch, vibration, and proprioception
Dorsal Column-Medial Lemniscus System (DCMLS)
Responsible for pain, temperature, and crude touch
Spinothalamic Tract
Lowest stimulus strength a subject can detect
Sensory Threshold
Determined by the sensitivity of the receptors (i.e. minimum energy required to generate action potential)
Sensory Threshold
Slowly adapting
-Detects static qualities of stimulus
Tonic
Rapidly adapting
-Detects dynamic qualities of stimulus
Phasic
The minimal interstimulus distance required to perceive two simultaneously applied stimuli as distinct (spatial resolution)
Two point discrimination
Resolution is determined by
Density of receptors and receptive fields
The region in sensory space within which a specific stimulus elicits the greatest action potential response
Receptive fields
Area of skin innervated by a single dorsal root ganglion but differ among individuals
Dermatomes
Axons making up a dorsal root originate from several different peripheral nerves is a reason for
Overlap of Dermatomes
Detects muscle length
Muscle spindle
Detects muscle tension
Golgi Tendon Organ
A single dorsal root ganglion contains many types of
Sensory Neurons
Which receptor type is associated with proprioception
Muscle Spindle
Which receptor types are associated with touch?
Merkel, Meissner, Pacinian, and Ruffini Cells
Where is the termination of the DCMLS?
Postcentral gyrus (Primary somatosensory cortex)
What is the pathway relay #2 for DCMLS?
Thalamus (Ventral Posterolateral Nucleus (VPL))
What is the decussation of the DCMLS?
Caudal medulla (internal arcuate fibers)
What is the pathway of relay #1 for DCMLS?
Dorsal column nuclei (Internal arcuate fibers)