Spinal Cord Tracts

Question 1

What are the Ascending Tracts of the spinal cord?

Answer 1

Fasciculus Cuneatus
Fasciculus Gracilis
Spinocerebellar Tract (dorsal and ventral)
Spino-olivary tract
spinoreticular tract
spinotectal tract
spinothalamic tract (anterior and lateral)

Question 2

What are the descending Tracts of the spinal cord?

Answer 2

Corticospinal tract
Reticulospinal tract
rubrospinal tract
tectospinal tract
vestibulospinal tract

Question 3

If a person suffers a lesion in the Fasciculus Cuneatus column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 3

sensory input from the trunk, neck, and upper extremities including proprioception, vibration, two-point discrimination and graphethesia

Question 4

If a person suffers a lesion in the Fasciculus Gracilis column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 4

sensory information from the lower extremities including proprioception, two point discrimination, vibration, and graphesthesia

Question 5

If a person suffers a lesion in the Dorsal Spinocerebellar Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 5

ipsilateral subconscious proprioception, tension in muscles, joint sense, and posture of the trunk and lower extremities

Question 6

If a person suffers a lesion in the Ventral Spinocerebellar Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 6

ipsilateral subconscious proprioception, tension in muscles, joint sense, and posture of the trunk and upper/lower extremities

Question 7

If a person suffers a lesion in the Spino-Olivary Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 7

cutaneous and proprioceptive organ sensation loss to the cerebellum

Question 8

If a person suffers a lesion in the Spinoreticular Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 8

loss of different levels of conciousness

Question 9

If a person suffers a lesion in the Spinotectal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 9

spinovisual reflexes and loss of movement of the eyes and head towards a stimulus

Question 10

If a person suffers a lesion in the Anterior Spinothalamic Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 10

loss of crude touch and pressure

Question 11

If a person suffers a lesion in the Lateral Spinothalamic Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 11

loss of pain and temperature sensation

Question 12

If a person suffers a lesion in the Anterior Corticospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 12

loss of ipsilateral voluntary, discrete, and skilled movements

Question 13

If a person suffers a lesion in the Lateral Corticospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 13

loss of contralateral voluntary fine movement

(will have a positive babinksi sign, absent superficial abdominal reflexes and cremasteric reflexes and the loss of fine motor or skilled voluntary movement)

Question 14

If a person suffers a lesion in the Reticulospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 14

loss of facilitation or inhibition of voluntary and reflex activity through the influence on alphas and gamma motor neurons

Question 15

If a person suffers a lesion in the Rubrospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 15

loss of motor input of gross postural tone, facilitating activity of flexor muscles, and inhibiting the activity of extensor muscles

Question 16

If a person suffers a lesion in the Tectospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 16

loss of contralateral postural muscle tone associated with auditory/visual stimuli

Question 17

If a person suffers a lesion in the Vestibulospinal Tract column what deficits would the experience?

Answer 17

loss of ipsilateral gross postural adjustments subsequent to head movements, facilitating activity of the extensor muscles, and inhibiting flexor muscles

Question 18

What is Anterior Cord syndrome?

What is the typical MOI?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 18

an incomplete lesion that results from compression and damage to the anterior part of the spinal cord or anterior spinal artery

MOI is usually excessive cervical flexion

loss of motor function and pain and temperature sense below the lesion due to damage of the corticospinal and spinothalamic tracts

Question 19

What is Brown Sequard’s syndrome?

What is the typical MOI?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 19

An incomplete spinal hemisection lesion

most common MOI is a stab wound

• paralysis and loss of vibratory and position sense on the same side as the lesion due to corticospinal tract damage
• loss of pain and temperature sense on the opposite side of lesion due to damage to lateral spinothalamic tract

Question 20

What is Cauda Equina syndrome?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 20

spinal injury under L1 level where the long nerve roots transcend

flaccidity, areflexia, and impairment of bowel and bladder function

Question 21

What is Central Cord syndrome?

What is the typical MOI?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 21

incomplete spinal lesion resulting from compression and damage to the central portion of the spine

common MOI is usually cervical hyperextension that damages the spinothalamic and corticospinal tracts

more motor deficits than sensory and UE are more involved than LE

Question 22

What is Posterior Cord syndrome?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 22

relatively rare syndrome that is caused by compression of the posterior spinal artery

loss of proprioception, two point discrimination, and stereognosis (motor function is preserved)