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Neuroanatomy > Spinal Cord > Flashcards

Spinal Cord Flashcards

1
Q

The intermediolateral cell column runs in the ____ vertebrae. It is part of the ____ matter

A

Thoracic

Gray

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2
Q

Clarke’s nucleus can be found in the ____ vertebrae. It is the site of…..
These neurons then gather in the ____ and continue to ascend in the spinal cord.

A

Thoracic
Synapse for neurons carrying proprioceptive information from the lower limbs via the gracile fasciculus.
Dorsal spinocerebellar tract

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3
Q

The gracile and cuneate fasciculi run in the _____ column. ____ is more medial and carries information from the ____ and _____ is more lateral, carrying info from the ____.

A

Posterior or dorsal
Gracile; lower trunk and limbs
Cuneate; upper trunk and limbs

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4
Q

Lisseur’s tract is in the _____. It carries ____ information up or down 1 or 2 levels before ______ to form the spinothalamic or ______ tract.

A

Dorsal horn
Protopathic (pain and temperature)
decusating in the anterior white commissure
Anterolateral tract (travels in the anterior part of the lateral funiculus)

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5
Q

The lateral corticospinal tract is involved in _____ and travels in the _____. The anterior corticospinal tract is involved in ____ and travels in the _____.
Also, ______ tract does not cross.

A

Distal motor control; lateral funiculus
Axial/proximal motor control; ventral funiculus
The anterior corticospinal does not cross

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6
Q

Which brainstem-spinal tract is responsible for distal fine motor control? Where does it travel in the white matter?

A

The rubrospinal tract

In the lateral funiculus

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7
Q

Name the 3 medial brainstem-spinal tracts. What do they control? Where do they travel?

A

The tectospinal, reticulospinal and vestibulospinal tracts. They control axial movements and travel in the ventral part of the lateral funiculus

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8
Q

What is the hypothalamicreticulospinalal tract responsible for? Where does it synapse? A lesion here will cause….

A

Descending control of pregang symps
the IML cell column
Horner’s syndrome

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9
Q

Define: myotome

A

all of the muscles that receive motor innervation from a given spinal nerve

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10
Q

The spinal cord ends at vertebral level ___ at which point, the ____ begins

A

L1

Cauda equina

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11
Q

Trauma of a peripheral nerve will cause….

A

Anesthesia/numbness of the dermatome supplied by the nerve and paralysis of the muscles innervated

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12
Q

A radiculopathy is a _____. This causes…..

A

Compression of a nerve root, such as by a herniated disk

Burning/tingling pain in the dermatome and reduced strength (paresis) of the muscles without complete paralysis

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13
Q

The spinal cord receives blood from the _____ and the _____ which are both branches of the ______. There are also other branches that supply the cord, meaning there is a lot of ____ circulation.

A

Anterior spinal
2 posterior spinals
Vertebral arteries
Collateral

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14
Q

The gray matter contains the ____ and the white matter contains_____

A

Cell bodies of neurons

Ascending and descending axons

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15
Q

The dorsal horn is where ______ and the ventral horn is where ______. The _____ marks the approximate dividing point between them.

A

Sensory information comes into the cord
Motor information leaves the cord
Central canal

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16
Q

Larger-diameter, more myelinated axons typically carry ____ information and enter the dorsal root more ______. The smaller, less or unmyelinated axons enter more ___ and carry ____ info.

A

Epicritic; medially

Laterally; protopathic

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17
Q

The gray matter is somatotopically organized, meaning….

A

That the motor neurons going to medial muscles are more medial and the ones going to the limbs are more lateral. This is important in the lumbar and cervical vertebrae, which have prominent ventral horns (b/c the limbs are here)

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18
Q

Why are the dorsal horns of the lumbar and cervical vertebrae enlarged?

A

The limbs bring in a lot of sensory info

19
Q

The amount of white matter _____ as you ascend the cord because….

A

Increases

More sensory axons join in and fewer motor neurons have synapsed

20
Q

Thoracic vertebrae have _____ dorsal horns and _____ ventral horns

A

Equally sized

21
Q

Most of the axons conveying epicritic information _____ but some terminate in the dorsal horn at their level of entry and are involved in ______

A

Ascend in the dorsal column in the gracile or cuneate fasciculus
reflex arcs

22
Q

Epicritic loss requires a lesion that affects….

A

Both the dorsal column and the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus (similar info is relayed here)

23
Q

The axons in the anterolateral system convey _____ info to the _____ and the _____

A

Protopathic

reticular formation and thalamus (VPL, DM and intralaminar nuclei)

24
Q

Define: dissociated sensory loss. What is it characteristic of?

A

Pain and temperature loss on 1 side and loss of fine discriminative abilities on the other
A spinal cord lesion

25
Q

Information about _____ is destined for the cerebellum. Neurons conveying info from the upper body travel in the ____ and synapse in the ____ before entering the cerebellum via the _____ on the _____ side

A 
proprioception
cuneate fasciculus
accessory cuneate nucleus
inferior cerebellar peduncle
same
26
Q

The corticospinal tract controls ______. The fibers that cross the midline descend as the ______ in the _____ and the fibers that do not cross descend as ____ in the _____.

A

Motor functions
Lateral corticospinal tract in the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus
Anterior corticospinal tract in the ventral funiculus

27
Q

Describe the path of the hypothalamo-reticulo-spinal pathway neurons

A

Begin in the hypothalamus, synapse in the reticular formation, travel through the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus before synapsing on the IML cell column

28
Q

____ is the spinal nerve that must be intact for heel walking (b/c it mediates dorsiflexion). _____ must be intact for toe-walking (mediates plantar flexion)

A

L5- heel walking

S1- toe walking

29
Q

The sciatic nerve is mostly fibers from ____

A

S1

30
Q

The cell bodies of neurons are visible in the gray matter of ____ and ____ vertebrae

A

lumbar and cervical (think where the limbs are)

31
Q

What is visible in the thoracic vertebrae but not in the lumbar vertebrae?

A

The IML cell column, cuneate fasciculus, Clarke’s nucleus and the dorsospinal cerebellar tract and the hypothalamo-reticulo-spinal tract

32
Q

Why are the corticospinal tract axons more medial in upper cervical vertebral segments?

A

This is just below the level at which they cross (pyramidal decusation)

33
Q

A vertebral hemisection will cause….

A

Complete anesthesia on the side of the lesion at the level of injury; contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation within 2 spinal segments; ipsilateral loss of proprioception and vibration sense below the lesion; ipsilateral muscle weakness in LMNs at level of injury and in UMNs below

34
Q

How can flaccid paralysis give way to hyperreflexia in a pt with a vertebral hemisection?

A

The spinal shock and edema will cause initial flaccid paralysis. However, the reflex circuits can recover later and without UMN input, will be hyperreflexic

35
Q

A lesion that affects protopathic sensation on both sides of approximately 1 vertebral level probably involves…

A

The anterior white commisure of that level

36
Q

The trendelenberg test tests…

What does a positive sign indicate?

A

the pts superior gluteal nerve
Pt stands on 1 foot. If pelvis on non-weightbearing side sags, the limb bearing weight has weakness of the sup gluteal nerve (a + sign)

37
Q

The crossed leg raise test indicates….

A

Nerve compression in the lumbar-sacral region. The pathology is on the side of the limb that, when is raised or crossed over the opposite limb, feels sharp pain

38
Q

A peripheral nerve lesion presents as…

A

Total loss of sensation in the nerve’s sensory distribution, paralysis of the muscles innervated by the nerve and a pattern of symptoms not confined to one dermatome or myotome

39
Q

A radiculopathy presents as….

A

Parasthesia, weakness and pain in 1 dermatome

And, if in lumbosacral region, a positive straight leg raise test

40
Q

a spinal cord lesion presents as….

A

Dissociated sensory signs (bilateral loss of sensation- ipsilateral epicritic and contralateral protopathic), bilateral paresis/plegia, history of trauma, bladder and/or bowel dysfunction

41
Q

Trouble toe-walking indicates a lesion in….

A

S1

42
Q

Trouble heel-walking indicates a lesion in….

A

L5

43
Q

In a peripheral nerve lesion, how can you localize the lesion?

A

See which symptoms are present. If all expected symptoms are present, the lesion is proximal. If only some are present, it’s distal

44
Q

Lumbar nerve roots emerge _____ the corresponding vertebrae so they are vulnerable to compression by a bulging disk _____ their point of exit from the vertebral column

A

Below
Above
This is important in posteriolateral disk herniation

Neuroanatomy (10 decks)

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