Spinal Cord Flashcards

1
Q

Spinal cord structure

A
  • Runs through the vertebral canal
  • foramen magnum –> L1-2
  • 31 pairs of spinal nerves
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2
Q

Not uniform in diameter

A
  • cervical enlargement

- lumbar enlargment

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3
Q

what/ where is the Conus medullaris?

A

tapered inferior end

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4
Q

what is the cauda equina?

A

lumbar & sacral nerve roots

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5
Q

Development of spinal cord: 8 weeks gestation

A
  • root of first sacral nerve
  • at S1
  • spinal ganglion
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6
Q

Development of spinal cord: 14 weeks gestation

A

-conus medullaris forming

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7
Q

Development of spinal cord: Birth

A
  • conus medullaris moves upwards

- filum terminale

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8
Q

Development of spinal cord: Adult

A
  • conus medullaris now located at L1 vertebrae
  • extended root of 1st sacral nerve
  • extended filum terminale
  • attachment of dura mater
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9
Q

Protective structures:

Vertebral column

A
  • solid but felxible protective casing around cord
  • intervertebral discs absorb shock
  • transmits weight of trunk to lower limbs
  • attachment points for ribs and muscles
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10
Q

Ligaments

A

e. g. ligamentum flavium

- limits potentially damaging movement of the spine

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11
Q

Meninges

A

-3 protective layers
(dura, arachnoid, pia)
-contains blood supply and CSF
-barrier for neurotoxic substances

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12
Q

CSF Cerebral Spinal Fluid

A

-nourishing fluid in which the cord is suspended

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13
Q

Segments

A
  • 8 cervical segments (breathing, head and neck movements, heart rate, upper limb movements)
  • 12 thoracic (sympathetic tone, trunk stability)
  • 5 lumbar (lowe limb movements)
  • 5 sacral (bowel and bladder)
  • 1 coccygeal segments
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14
Q

Spinal column cross section

A
  • diagram
  • dorsal root ganglion
  • subdural space
  • epidural space
  • meninges
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15
Q

Lingamentum Denticulum

A
  • flat membrane formed from PIA MATER
  • along midline between dorsal and ventral nerve roots
  • laterally to adhere to the arachnoid and dura
  • spinal cord is suspended in the middle of the dural sheath
  • diagram
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16
Q

Arterial blood supply

A
  1. Anterior spinal artery
  2. Posterior spinal arteries
  3. Radicular arteries
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17
Q

Venous drainage

A
  1. Anterior &posterior median spinal veins in the midline
  2. ANTEROLATERAL and POSTEROLATERAL paired veins situated near the lines of attachment of the ventral and dorsal roots
  3. Anterior and Posterior RADICULAR veins
  4. Internal vertebral venous plexus in the epidural space
  5. External vertebral venous plexus
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18
Q

Circulation of CSF

A
  1. CSF is produced by the choroid plexus of each ventricle
  2. CSF flows through the ventricle and into the subarachnoid space via the median and lateral apertures. some CSF flows through the central canal of the spinal cord
  3. CSF flows through the subarachnoid space
  4. CSF is absorbed into the dural venous sinuses via the arachnoid villi.
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19
Q

Why would a Lumbar puncture be done?

A

-to obtain CSF from the subarachnoid space

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20
Q

Where would a lumbar puncture be done?

A
  • midline between L3&L4
  • between L4 &L5
  • inferior to the spinal cord
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21
Q

Expanded subarachnoid space inferior to spinal cord:

A

Lumbar Cistern

22
Q

Internal organisation of the spinal cord:

A

-diagram

23
Q

Internal organisation of the spinal cord: Cervical

A
  • large ant. grey horn VS post. grey horn
  • large diameter (more white matter)
  • oval-shaped
24
Q

Internal organisation of the spinal cord: Thoracic

A
  • small ant. and post. horns

- small diameter (less grey matter)

25
Q

Internal organisation of the spinal cord: Lumbar

A
  • large ant. and post. grey horns, small lat. grey horn
  • reduced white matter
  • circular shape
26
Q

Internal organisation of the spinal cord: Sacral

A
  • proportionally larger grey vs white matter

- small circular shape

27
Q

Grey matter of spinal cord:

Dorsal (posterior) horn

A
  • sensory (afferent) information

- I-VI (noxious, proprioceptive)

28
Q

Grey matter of spinal cord: Ventral (anterior) horn

A
  • motor (efferent) information
  • VIII-IX
Lateral horn (T1-L2)
-VII & X
29
Q

Tract

A

neuron bundles within CNS

30
Q

Nerve

A

-neuron bundles outside CNS

31
Q

Descending (motor) tracts: EFFERENT

A

-these deliver motor instructions from the brain to the spinal cord to the muscles

32
Q

-Pyramidal/corticospinal tracts

A

voluntary movements

33
Q

-Extrapyramidal (indirect pathways)

A

-all other motor tracts (involuntary)

34
Q

Motor pathways involve two neurons:

A
  • Upper motor neuron (UMN)

- Lower motor neuron (LMN)

35
Q

Ascending (Sensory) Tracts: AFFERENT

A
  • posterior column
  • spinothalamic
  • Spinolimbic/Spinoreticular
  • Spinocerebellar

-composed of a 3-neuron chain; 1st order, 2nd order and 3rd order neurons

36
Q

Posterior column and spinothalamic pathways send impulses to…

A

the sensory cortex

37
Q

Spinocerebellar tracts send impulses to…

A

the cerebellum

-these do not contribute to sensory perception

38
Q

Spinocerebellar tracts send impulses to…

A

the cerebellum

-these do not contribute to sensory perception

39
Q

Ascending (sensory) tracts:

A
  1. Pain, temp, and coarse touch cross the midline in the spinal cord
  2. Fine touch, vibration and proprioception pathways cross the midline in the medulla
  3. Sensory pathways synapse in the thalamus
  4. Sensations are perceived in the primary somatic sensory cortex
40
Q

White matter of spinal cord:

A
  • motor and descending (efferent) pathways
  • sensory and ascending (afferent) pathways
  • diagram with all labelled tracts
41
Q

somesthesis

A

touch

42
Q

thermosensation

A

temperature

43
Q

nociception

A

pain

44
Q

proprioception & kinesthesia

A

position and movement sense

45
Q

Spinal cord function:

A
  • carry sensory information from the body to the brain
  • carry motor information from the brain to the body
  • reflexes
46
Q

Spinal reflex

A
  1. pain receptors in skin
  2. impulse sent to spinal cord via afferent neurons
  3. impulse sent via axon of efferent neuron
  4. muscle contracts and withdraws part being stimulated
47
Q

Spinal nerves

A

-31 pairs
-C1 emerges above atlas,
C8 emerges below C7 vertebra
-remaining spinal nerves emerge inferior to the corresponding vertebrae
-branching networks of spinal nerves -plexuses

48
Q

Spinal nerve structure

A
  • dorsal rootlets-dorsal root-spinal nerve-sympathetic ganglion
  • ventral rootlets-ventral root-spinal nerve-sympathetic ganglion
49
Q

Dermatone

A

=area innervated by afferent in single spinal nerve

Cervical: Upper limb and body

Thoracic: Trunk

Lumbar and sacral: Lower limb

50
Q

Spinal injury:

A
Paralysis: Loss of motor function
Paraesthesia: Loss of sensation
-hemiplegia (right or left)
-paraplegia (waist down)
-quadriplegia (neck down)