Spinal cord and nerves

Question 1

What is a complete spinal cord injury? What is the consequence

Answer 1

occur when the spinal cord is fully compressed or severed. A complete injury will result in a complete loss of sensory and motor information below the level of the lesion.

Question 2

What is an incomplete spinal cord injury?

Answer 2

occur when the spinal cord is compressed or injured, but the brain’s ability to send signals below the site of the injury is not completely removed.

Question 3

What is brown-sequard?

Answer 3

A partial spinal cord injury on one half of the spinal cord- paralysis and loss ofproprioception/ vibration/discriminative touchon the ipsilateral side as the injury.

Loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite (or contralateral) side as the lesion

Question 4

How does the proportion of white matter to grey matter differ as you go down the spinal cord?

Answer 4

As you go down the spinal cord the amount of white matter increases and the amount of greasy matter decreases

Question 5

What is a dermatone

Answer 5

area of skin which receives its sensory supply from a single spinal nerve

Question 6

Where is a lumber puncture and epidural given?

Answer 6

Below the level of L3 to avoid damage to spinal cord

Question 7

describe the blood supply to the spinal cord?

Answer 7

Anterior and posterior spinal arteries
Radiculospinal arteries (arteries from the body wall)

Question 8

What is the difference between a motor and sensory neurone?

Answer 8

Motor neurone- multipolar, has many dedrites coming from the cell body

Sensory- cell body found in axon (spinal or cranial nerve ganglion), it is unipolar. Only 1 process on cell body