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human structure and function > spinal cord > Flashcards

spinal cord Flashcards

1
Q

what grooves are the spinal cord divided left and right into?

A

anterior median fissure and posterior median sulcus

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2
Q

what is gray matter composed of mainly in the internal spinal cord?

A

neuron cell bodies

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3
Q

what is white matter composed of mainly in the internal spinal cord?

A

myelinated axons

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4
Q

what is the central canal or the spinal cord filled with?

A

cerebrospinal fluid

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5
Q

what is the gray commissure the site of?

A

axons cross from one side of CNS to other

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6
Q

what type of nuclei does the posterior gray horns contain?

A

sensory nuclei

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7
Q

what type of nuclei does the lateral gray horns contain?

A

autonomic motor nuclei

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8
Q

what type of nuclei does the anterior gray horns contain?

A

somatic motor nuclei

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9
Q

what do cell bodies of interneurons in the posterior gray horns receive and process?

A

incoming sensory input

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10
Q

what do the sensory nuclei of the posterior gray horns contain?

A

cell bodies of spinal cord interneurons

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11
Q

what do the cell bodies of the lower motor neurons located in the anterior gray horns send?

A

somatic motor output towards skeletal muscles

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12
Q

what does the somatic motor nuclei of the anterior gray horns contain?

A

cell bodies of lower motor neurons

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13
Q

what does the autonomic motor nuclei of the lateral gray horns contain?

A

cell bodies of preganglioic neurons

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14
Q

what do the cell bodies of preganglionic neurons located in the lateral gray horns send?

A

autonomic motor output towards glands, cardiac and smooth muscles

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15
Q

what is anterior white commissure the site of?

A

where axons cross from one side of CNS to other

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16
Q

what is white matter in the spinal cord subdivided into?

A

white columns

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17
Q

what do white columns contain

A

ascending and descending spinal cord tracts= bundles of axons

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18
Q

what do ascending tracts conduct?

A

sensory input to brain

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19
Q

what do descending tracts conduct?

A

motor output away from the brain

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20
Q

what does the tract name often reveal?

A

origin, destination and white matter location

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21
Q

what are the posterior white columns?

A
  • fasciculus gracilis

- fasciculus cuneatus

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22
Q

what sensory info does fasciculus gracilis/cuneatus tracts conduct?

A
  • fine touch
  • vibration
  • pressure
  • proprioception (conscious)
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23
Q

what are the lateral white columns?

A
  • lateral spinothalamic
  • anterior and posterior spinocerebellar
  • lateral corticospinal
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24
Q

what sensory info does the lateral spinothalamic tract conduct?

A

pain and temp

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25
Q

what sensory info does the anterior and posterior spinocerebellar tracts conduct?

A

proprioception (unconscious)

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26
Q

where are the anterior and posterior spinocerebellar tracts located?

A

lateral white columns

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27
Q

what are the anterior white columns?

A
  • anterior corticospinal

- anterior spinothalamic

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28
Q

what sensory info does the lateral corticospinal tract conduct?

A

-somatic motor output that controls the skeletal muscles of the limbs

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29
Q

is the lateral corticospinal tract an ascending or descending tract?

A

descending

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30
Q

what sensory info does the anterior corticospinal tract conduct?

A

somatic motor output that controls the skeletal muscles of the axial skeleton (neck and trunk)

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31
Q

is the anterior corticospinal tract an ascending or descending tract?

A

descending

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32
Q

are the anterior and posterior spinocerebellar ascending or descending?

A

ascending

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33
Q

what ascending tract is responsible for crude touch and pressure?

A

anterior spinothalamic tract

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34
Q

what do sensory pathways connect?

A

receptors to brain

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35
Q

what do motor pathways connect?

A

brain to skeletal muscles

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36
Q

what do somatosensory pathways conduct?

A

general sensory input from receptors to brain

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37
Q

how many relay neurons are involved in the somatosensory pathways?

A

3

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38
Q

what 3 relay neurons are involved in the somatosensory pathways?

A

first/second/third-order neurons

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39
Q

what are the three main somatosensory pathways?

A
  • spinothalamic pathway
  • posterior column pathway
  • spinocerebellar pathway
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40
Q

what does the spinothalamic pathway conduct?

A

sensations of crude touch, pressure, pain and temp

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41
Q

where do the first-order neurons of the spinothalamic pathway conduct sensory input from receptors into?

A

posterior gray horns

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42
Q

where do the second-order neurons of the spinothalamic pathway conduct sensory input to?

A

thalamus

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43
Q

how does sensory info ascend the spinal cord in the spinothalamic pathway?

A
  • anterior spinothalamic tract

- lateral spinothalamic tract

44
Q

where does the third-order neurons of the spinothalamic pathway conduct sensory input?

A

to the primary somatosensory cortex

45
Q

what does the posterior column pathway conduct?

A

sensations of fine touch, pressure, vibration and proprioception

46
Q

where do first-order neurons conduct sensory input into in the posterior column pathway?

A

into the posterior gray horns and up to the medulla oblongata

47
Q

what tracts does sensory input ascend in the first-order neurons of the posterior column pathway?

A

-fasciculus gracilis or cuneatus tracts

48
Q

where do first-order neurons synapse with second-order neurons in the posterior column pathway?

A

medulla oblongata

49
Q

where does sensory input get conducted in second-order neurons of the posterior column pathway?

50
Q

where do third-order neurons of the posterior column pathway conduct sensory input?

A

primary somatosensory cortex

51
Q

what does the spinocerebellar pathway conduct?

A

sensations of proprioception

52
Q

where does the first-order neurons of the spinocerebellar pathway conduct sensory input to?

A

into the posterior gray horns

53
Q

where do the first-order neurons of the spinocerebellar pathway synapse with second-order neurons?

A

within a sensory nucleus

54
Q

where do second-order neurons of the spinocerebellar pathway conduct sensory input?

A

cerebellum

55
Q

what tracts does sensory input ascend in the second-order neurons of the spinocerebellar pathway?

A

anterior or posterior spinocerebellar tract

56
Q

what do the somatic motor pathways conduct?

A

somatic motor output from the primary cortex to a skeletal muscle

57
Q

how many relay neurons does the somatic pathways involve?

58
Q

what are the two relay neurons of the somatic motor pathways?

A
  • upper motor neuron

- lower motor neuron

59
Q

what are the two main somatic motor pathways?

A
  • lateral corticospinal pathway

- anterior corticospinal pathway

60
Q

what does the lateral corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

the somatic motor output that controls the skeletal muscles of the limbs

61
Q

what do the upper motor neurons of the lateral corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

somatic motor output from the primary motor cortex to an anterior gray horn

62
Q

what spinal tract does the somatic motor output from the upper motor neurons of the lateral corticospinal pathway descend?

A

lateral corticospinal tract

63
Q

where does the upper motor neurons of the lateral corticospinal pathway synapse with lower motor neurons?

A

in a motor nucleus

64
Q

what do lower motor neurons of the lateral corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

somatic motor output to skeletal muscles of the limbs

65
Q

what does the anterior corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

somatic motor output that controls the skeletal muscles of the axial skeleton (head, neck, trunk)

66
Q

what do the upper motor neurons of the anterior corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

somatic motor output from the primary motor cortex to an anterior gray horn

67
Q

what spinal tract does the somatic motor output from the upper motor neurons of the anterior corticospinal pathway descend?

A

anterior corticospinal tract

68
Q

what do lower motor neurons of the anterior corticospinal pathway conduct?

A

somatic motor output to skeletal muscles of the neck and trunk

69
Q

what are spinal reflex arcs?

A

neural pathways that produce rapid, predictable, involuntary somatic or autonomic reflex response to a stimulus

70
Q

what do spinal cord injuries result in?

A

sensory and/or motor losses at or below the level of injury

71
Q

what does damage to the posterior gray horns or ascending spinal cord tracts lead to?

A

loss of sensation

72
Q

what does damage to the anterior gray horns or corticospinal tracts lead to?

A

spastic or flaccid paralysis

73
Q

what does a complete transection of the spinal cord result in?

A

a loss of all sensations and voluntary movement

74
Q

what does a transection in the cervical region of the spinal cord result in?

A

quadraplegia

75
Q

what does a transection in the thoracic or lumbar region of the spinal cord result in?

A

paraplegia

76
Q

what is spinal shock?

A

a transient period of complete sensory and motor loss, and a loss of all reflexes below level of lesion, reflex activity gradually returns

77
Q

what is spastic paralysis?

A
  • loss of voluntary movement

- reflex activity intact but abnormal

78
Q

what is flaccid paralysis?

A

loss of voluntary movement and reflex activity

79
Q

is flaccid paralysis caused by damage to the upper or lower motor neurons?

80
Q

is spastic paralysis caused by damage to the upper or lower motor neurons?

81
Q

approx how long is the spinal cord?

82
Q

approx how wide is the spinal cord?

83
Q

when does the spinal cord end?

A

L1-L2 of vertebral column in adults and L4 in infants

84
Q

what is the cone shaped structure that the spinal cord terminates at?

A

conus medullaris

85
Q

what is the spinal cord anchored to the coccyx by?

A

filum terminale

86
Q

how many regions are there in the vertebral column?

87
Q

how many segments are there in the vertebral column?

88
Q

how many pairs of cervical nerves are there?

89
Q

how many pairs of thoracic nerves are there?

90
Q

how many pairs of lumbar nerves are there?

91
Q

how many pairs of sacral nerves are there?

92
Q

how many pairs of coccygeal nerves are there?

93
Q

what are the five regions starting from closest to the head down?

A
  • cervical
  • thoracic
  • lumbar
  • sacral
  • coccyx
94
Q

what do spinal nerves branch to form?

A

peripheral nerves

95
Q

what type of nerves are spinal nerves?

A

mixed nerves that contain the axons of sensory and motor (somatic and automatic) neurons

96
Q

are dorsal roots motor or sensory?

97
Q

are ventral roots motor or sensory?

98
Q

what do dorsal roots contain?

A

axons of sensory neurons

99
Q

what do ventral roots contain?

A

axons of motor neurons (somatic and autonomic)

100
Q

what do dorsal root ganglion contain?

A

cell bodies of sensory neurons

101
Q

what is the collection of roots beyond the conus medullaris called?

A

cauda equina

102
Q

how is the spinal cord protected from mechanical forces?

A
  • vertebral column
  • CSF
  • spinal meninges
103
Q

what is CSF withdrawn from the spinal cord in a lumbar puncture used for?

A

diagnostic testing or reducing intracranial pressure

104
Q

what is a lumbar puncture (spinal tap)?

A

involves the insertion of a needle into the subarachnoid space beyond L3

105
Q

how is the outer dura mater separated from the vertebral column?

A

epidural space

106
Q

what is the site of anaesthetic administration?

A

epidural space

human structure and function (21 decks)

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