Spinal cord, spinal nerve, plexuses Flashcards
List the ligaments within the vertebral column from anterior to posterior.
- Anterior longitudinal ligament
- Posterior longitudinal ligament
- Ligamentum flavum
- Interspinous ligament
- Supraspinous ligament
Where do we find intervertebral disks in the vertebral column?
C2 - C3 and L5 - S1
What structures make up the intervertebral disk?
- Annulus fibrosis
2. Nucleus pulposis
Dorsal roots carry what kind of nerve fibers?
Afferent (sensory) fibers
Ventral roots carry what kind of nerve fibers?
Efferent (motor) fibers
Lumbar plexus consists of what nerves?
Femoral n.
Obturator n.
Sacral plexus exits from what vertebrae?
L4 - S4
List the nerves that come from the sciatic plexus.
- Sciatic n. (common fibular and tibial)
- Superior gluteal n.
- Inferior gluteal n.
- Posterior femoral cutaneous n.
What is the outermost covering of the spinal cord?
Dura mater
What structure is a continuation of dura mater to anchor the spinal cord to the coccyx?
Filum terminale externum or the coccygeal ligament
Dura mater forms what structure as it travels along the dorsal and ventral nerve roots through the intervertebral foramina?
dural root sleeves
Where does the dural sac end?
S2
What type of tissue is arachnoid mater made of?
Fibrous and elastic fibers
What structures are enclosed by arachnoid mater in the subarachnoid space?
Spinal cord
Spinal nerve roots
Spinal ganglia
CSF
True or False:
Arachnoid space is pierced in a lumbar puncture.
True
True or False:
Subdural space exists between dura mater and arachnoid mater.
False; it is only a potential space
What structures does pia mater cover in the spinal cord?
CLOSELY follows entire spinal cord
DIRECTLY covers spinal nerve roots and spinal vessels
Filum terminale (internus) is an extension of what membrane?
Pia mater
What are denticulate ligaments?
Specializations of pia mater
Ligaments that form a longitudinal shelf separating dorsal and ventral root flats
How many pairs of denticulations are there?
21 pairs
What is the function of denticulate ligaments?
To suspend the spinal cord in the subarachnoid space
What level of the vertebral column is the conus medullaris located at?
L2
What structure anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx?
Filum terminale
What is the cauda equina?
Collection of nerve roots coming from the end of the spinal cord, located within the lumbar cistern
What is the lumbar cistern?
Subarachnoid space filled up with CSF distal to the conus medullaris
Where does the lumber cistern terminate?
S2
extends from L2 to S2
Where would a lumbar puncture be performed?
Above or below L4 in the region of the cauda equina
Ventral rootlets contain what type of axons?
- Somatic lower motor neuron
2. Preganglionic sympathetic axon
Dorsal rootets contain what type of axons?
Afferent neurons
What is located in the dorsal root ganglion?
Peudounipolar cell bodies
Spinal nerves are mixed nerves that contain what functional components?
- GSE
- GVE
- GSA
- GVA
What nerve fibers do ventral roots carry?
Motor fibers (somatic and visceral)
What nerve fibers do dorsal roots carry?
Sensory fibers
Where is the location of the dorsal root ganglion?
In the intervertebral foramen on the dorsal root
What functional component has fibers that transmit motor impulses from spinal cord to skeletal muscles?
GSE
What functional component has fibers that transmit motor impulses from spinal cord to smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands?
GVE
What functional component has fibers that transmit exteroceptive and proprioceptive impulses from body to spinal cord?
GSA
What functional component has fibers that transmit introceptive impulses from the viscera to spinal cord?
GVA
What is the significance of the attachment of the posterior longitudinal ligament to the discs?
Although this ligament helps reinforce the posterior aspect of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc, it thins laterally. Therefore, herniations are likely occur in the posterolateral direction
