Spinal Cord 2 Flashcards
What function does the corticospinal system control?
Voluntary motor function
What tracts are involved in voluntary motor control?
Lateral and anterior corticospinal tracts
What tracts are involved in fine touch and proprioception?
Dorsal column with posterior funiculus
What tracts are involved in pain, temp, and crude touch?
Anterolateral system
Which motorneurons come from the precentral gyrus?
Uppermotor neurons
Any cranial nerve that does motor function is considered what?
Lowermotor neurons
What are the cranial nerves that are lowermotor neurons?
3,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12
In cranial nerve nuclei and spinal cord, there is a synapse that provides communication for what?
Between upper and lower motor neurons
The corticospinal tract divides into what two tracts? Where does it split? Which one crosses the midline?
- anterior and lateral corticospinal tract
- in the medulla
- lateral corticospinal tract crosses the midline (lateral tract is bigger)
The lateral CST controls what? How does it terminate?
- upper and lower limbs
- terminates ipsilaterally (on opposite side where it originates)
The anterior CST does what? How does it terminate?
- head and neck (axial)
- terminates bilaterally
In the anterior horn, where are flexor and where are extensor?
Flexor are more towards the center and the extensor are more towards the edge
How are anterior horn motor neurons organized?
In vertical (rostral caudal) columns
How does the lateral CST run?
- descends through body in lateral funiculus
- synapse in anterior horn (on opposite side)
- serves limbs contralateral to cortex
- serves limbs ipsilateral to tract
What is the excitatory NT in corticospinal projections? Inhibitory?
Glutamate is excitatory
GABA is inhibitory
What happens when CST are damaged rostral to pyramidal decision?
-produces limb paralysis on side contralateral to lesion (left side damage means right side weakness)
what happens when the LATERAL CST has damage CAUDAL to pyramidal decussation?
-produces weakness ipsilateral to the lesion (left side damage means left side weakness)
Damage to the lateral CST produces what kind of deficits?
- level down
- suprasegmental deficits
- damage to uppermotor neurons
Damage to ventral hor, ventral roots, and peripheral nerves produce what kind of deficits?
- lower motor damage
- segmental deficits
- only damage at that level, not down
Which tract can compensate for the other when it is damaged and result in no significant deficit?
The lateral can compensate for the anterior.
Describe what happens to strength when there is lowermotor damage. Uppermotor Damage?
Lower: decreased
Upper:decreased
Describe what happens to muscle tone when there is lowermotor damage. Uppermotor?
Lower: decreased
Upper: increased