Spinal Cord Flashcards
Where does the spinal cord run from and until. What does it continue as
Spinal cord runs from end of brainstem to around L1 vertebrae
Continues as the cauda equina
What are the spinal nerves formed of
Spinal nerves are formed of a mixture of dorsal and ventral roots
Roots are formed of rootlets
What is a nucleus in relation to the CNS
Nucleus is a collection of functionally related cell bodies
What is the cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a highly folded sheet of cell bodies found on the surface of the brain stucture
What is a fibre in relation to the CNS and what are the types of fibres in the CNS
A fibre is an axon in association with its supporting cells
Association fibre - connect cortical regions within the same hemisphere
Commissural fibres - connect left and right hemispheres or cord halves
Projection fibres - connect cerebral hemispheres with the cord/brainstem and vice versa
How is white matter split in the spinal cord
White matter is split into three funiculi: dorsal, lateral and ventral
Funiculi - segment of white matter containing multiple distinct tracts with impulses travelling in multiple directions
What is a tract in the CNS
Tract is an anatomically and functionally defined white matter pathway connecting two distinct regions of grey matter
Impulses travel in one direction
What is a fasciculus
Fasiculus - subdivision of a tract supplying a distinct region of the body
How is grey matter in the spinal cord divided
Grey matter in the spinal cord is organised into cell columns, Rexed’s laminae
What is grey matter and what is white matter
Grey matter - composed of cell bodies and dendrites and is highly vascularised. Does have axons to communicate with the white matter
White matter - composed of axons with their supporting cells
