Spinal Cord and Nerves Flashcards
The spinal cord contains what?
Neural circuits
What does the spinal cord do?
Controls some of the quickest reactions to environmental changes.
The site for integration of neuronal stimulation is where?
Spinal Cord
What does the spinal cord relay?
Sensory nerve impulses
What is the outer layer of meninges?
Dura Mater
Where is outer layer of the meninges located?
Epidural space
What is the middle layer of the meninges?
Arachnoid Mater
Where is the middle layer of the meninges located?
Subarachnoid space with cerebrospinal fluid.
What is the inner layer of meninges?
Pia mater
Delicate
Where is the inner layer of the meninges located?
Coccygeal and Denticulate ligaments.
What are meninges?
Connective tissue coverings that encircle the spinal cord and brain.
What is outer layer of meninges composed of?
Dense irregular connective tissue.
What is the middle layer of meninges composed of?
It’s an avascular covering composed of delicate collagen fibers and some elastic fibers.
What is the layer between the dura mater and the arachnoid mater?
Subdural space
What are denticulate ligaments?
Thickenings of the Pia mater suspend the spinal cord in the middle of the dural sheath.
What shape is the spinal cord?
Oval
Where does the spinal cord extend from?
The medulla oblongata to the superior border of the second lumbar vertebra.
What is the length of the adult spinal cord?
42-45 cm
What are the two conspicuous enlargements in the spinal cord?
Cervical enlargement
Lumbar enlargement
What is the tapering end of the spinal cord inferior to the lumbar enlargement called?
Conus Medullaris
Where does the tapering end of the spinal cord end?
Ends at the level of the intervertebral disc between the first and second lumbar vertebrae.
What is the extension of the Pia mater?
Filum Terminale
What does the film terminals fuse with?
Arachnoid mater and dura mater, anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx.
What are spinal nerves?
Paths of communication between the spinal cord and specific regions of the body.
What does each pair of spinal nerves have?
Spinal segment
How many pairs of cervical nerves are there?
8
How many pairs of sacral nerves are there?
5
How many pairs of coccygeal nerves are there?
1
What connects the spinal nerve to the segment of the cord?
Rootlets
The posterior (dorsal) root conduct nerve impulses for what?
Sensory receptors in the skin, muscles, and internal organs into the central nervous system.
The anterior (ventral) root contains neurons for what?
Motor neurons, which conduct nerve impulses from the CNS to effectors (muscles and glands)
What contains the cell bodies of sensory neurons?
Posterior (dorsal) root ganglion
What is formed by roots of the lumbar, sacral and coccygeal nerves around the film terminale?
Cauda Equina
What is the outer layer of the spinal cord?
White Matter
What is the inner layer of the spinal cord?
Gray Matter
What does white matter consist of?
Myelinated axons of neurons
What are the three regions of the white matter?
Anterior White columns
Posterior White columns
Lateral White columns
What are tracts?
Bundle of axons, which may extend long distances up or down the spinal cord.
What direction do sensory tracts go?
Conduct nerve impulses toward the brain
What direction do motor tracts go?
Carry nerve impulses from the brain to the target tissue.
What is gray matter shaped as?
An H or butterfly in the center of the spinal cord.
What does gray matter consist of?
Dendrites and cell bodies of neurons, unmyelinated axons, and neuroglia.
What forms the crossbar of the H?
Gray Commissure
What is the central canal filled with?
Cerebrospinal fluid