Test 3 ☠️ Flashcards
skeletal/smooth muscle (487 cards)
Where does the spinal cord transmit sensory information?
Spinal Cord transmits sensory information from the periphery of the body up to the brainstem, cerebellum, and brain
Another term for sending portion of the central nervous system:
Efferent pathways: send signals from brain and spinal cord to rest of body
What is the function of efferent pathways in the spinal cord?
Spinal cord uses efferent pathways as a path to talk to skeletal muscles
What directions do motor and sensory info travel in the spinal cord?
Sensory info travels up the cord
Motor info goes down the cord
Which pathways take up most of the real estate in the spinal cord?
Ascending sensory pathways–larger than motor pathways
Lots of sensory info to pass to brain and brainstem
What are some examples of signals that get sent through ascending pathways in the SC?
pressure, temperature, vibration, pain
Where are cell bodies located in the grey matter?
Anterior horn of grey matter
What is the function of the grey matter?
Decision making
Lots of synapses, cell bodies, and connections that are in grey matter of spinal cord
Where do all efferent signals have to pass through if wanting to talk to peripheral target?
The brainstem
What is a tract?
A bundle of axons within the CNS
What are nerves?
Bundle of axons in PNS
Why do spinal cord transmission names end in tract?
They are pathways of axons bundles together in the CNS
Why do we need crossover in the spinal cord?
Left side of CNS controls function of the right side of the body and vice versa
What are the 5 categories of spinal tracts?
1) Pyramidal Tracts
2) Extrapyramidal Tracts
3) Dorsal Column Medial Lemniscus pathway
4) Anterolateral System
5) Spinocerebellar Tracts
How many pyramidal tracts are there?
(2)
-Lateral corticospinal tract (primary)
-Anterior corticospinal tract (secondary)
What is the function of the pyramidal tracts?
Primary motor commands
Majority of motor function
Voluntary movement
Why are they called Pyramidal tracts?
The signals pass through the pyramids in the brainstem
What is another term for lateral corticospinal tracts?
Primary descending motor pathway
What is the route of primary descending motor pathways through the spinal cord?
Signal originates in motor cortex (frontal lobe)
On way down passes through internal capsule
Through brainstem where pryamids of medulla are (crossover happens here)
Info is then passes down the cord via Lateral corticospinal tracts
Motor neuron in anterior horn is activated
Where is crossover for primary descending motor pathway?
Medullary pyramids
Where are the pyramids of medulla located?
anterior part of the brainstem in the medulla
Area where primary motor signals cross over from one side of the brainstem to the other:
Pyramidal decussation
What does the pyramidal decussation look like?
Crosshatched patterned tissue on the anterior part of the brainstem where the strands of neurons cross over
Bridges gap between left and right pyramids
After crossing the pyramidal decussation, where does the primary motor signal go?
Has to get to target
Descends laterally in the cord in the lateral corticospinal tract