Test 3 ☠️ Flashcards
skeletal/smooth muscle
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
Why is the tract called “lateral corticospinal tract”?
Lateral–pathway is in the side (lateral) parts of spinal cord
Cortico–signal originated in motor CORTEX
How does the lateral corticospinal tract allow for excitation of motor neurons?
Once signal reaches level its targeting for excitement, a little part extends into anterior horn and excites the motor neuron associated with it
What does the lateral coritcospinal tract include?
Pathway where the signal is traced down the cord to the motor neuron in the anterior horn
What percent of motor function is the lateral corticospinal tract (primary descending motor pathway) responsible for?
80% (4/5) of motor function
Why is the primary descending motor pathway larger than the other descending pathway?
Larger in size because there are a lot more neurons
Tissue is larger than some of the smaller secondary pathways
What is another name for secondary motor pathway?
Anterior Corticospinal tract
Where is the secondary motor pathways located?
Front (anterior) part of spinal cord
How does the size of the anterior corticospinal tract compare to the lateral corticospinal tract?
Anterior corticospinal tract is smaller
Carries a lot less information
What precent of motor function is the anterior corticospinal tract responsible for?
17% of motor function
What is the main difference between secondary and primary motor pathways?
Cross over area
Crossover in secondary pathway happens much lower than primary
Secondary cross over is at level of the cord where neuron needs to innervate target
Where does crossover happen in the secondary motor pathway?
Signal travels down same side of body that signal originated–crosses over at the level of motor neuron it needs to talk to
How does the signal travel in secondary motor pathway?
Signal originates in cerebral cortex (motor cortex)
Signal travels on same side of body through spinal cord on the way to talk to skeletal muscles
crosses over at level of motor neuron needs to talk to
What precent of motor information does not cross over at all?
2-3%
Signal will descend on same side it originated and never cross over
What are Extrapyramidal Tracts?
Accessory motor pathways that help coordinate complex tasks
Located outside pyramidal tracts
What type of motor function are extrapyramidal tracts responsible for?
Involuntary: helps us fine tune motor commands
We dont have knowledge of theses things functioning
control or feedback on instructions
What are the 4 extrapyramidal tracts?
Rubrospinal Tract
Reticuluospinal tract
Olivospinal Tract
Vestibulospinal Tract
What are the main ascending pathways?
1) Dorsal Column Medial Lemniscus pathways (DCML)
2) Anterolateral system
3) Spinocerebellar tracts
Where is the dorsal column medial lemniscus pathway located?
1 set of ascending sensory pathways–sits in back of spinal cord
medial lemniscus refers to structure that passes through as info is sent to brainstm
What type of info is transmitted by the dorsal column medial lemniscus pathway?
Transmits info regarding pressure sensors in skin
Major pressure sensory/ touch sensory pathway
-fine pressure
-fine vibration
-all sorts of sensory things
Where does cross over happen in the DCML pathway?
Medulla–usually one of 2 routes to get to medulla
What route does the DCML pathway use to get information to medulla for cross over?
Touch sensation comes into cord
Enters dorsal rootlet
Portion if touch info fed into grey matter in the cord
Other portion of info hops into dorsal column and rides up to the brain
In the DCML pathways, what happens to the information that is fed into the grey matter?
Info that goes into grey matter usually stays in grey matter and does not ascend
What is the purpose of sensory info remaining in the grey matter in the SC?
Info can be involved with lateral inhibition (modulation of some activity in the cord)
What is transmission speed for DCML pathway and why?
Capable of very fast signal propagation
A fibers through DCML pathway
Which A fibers are involved in DCML pathway?
Variety of A fibers (alpha, beta, delta, gamma)–all myelinated
How does location of cord correspond to size of DCML pathway?
The higher up in the cord, the larger/wider the dorsal columns
The higher up= more sensory info being fed into cord (upper and lower extremities)
At which level would the dorsal column be the widest?
A) C3
B) T10
C) L1
A) L1 and T10 are near the end of the cord–info coming from lower extremities fed into dorsal column–only has lower extremities info fed into dorsal column
Which pathway is touch perception fed through?
Dorsal column medial lemniscuc pathway
ex: helps figure out if holding on to something
What are the 2 sections of the DCML?
Fasciculus Gracilis
Fasciculus Cuneatus
What is the Fasciculus Gracilis responsible for?
Part of DCML pathway that carried sensory info from the lower extremities
Where is the Fasciculus Gracilis located?
Located in very inferior section of the spinal cord
What is the Fasciculus Cuneatus responsible for?
Lateral part of dorsal column–upper extremity sensory information
Where is the Fasciculus Cuneatus located?
As more info is being fed as we go up the SC–it adds to the lateral side of the dorsal column
Where in the spine would you expect to see a lateral portion of the dorsal column?
Sections of the cord higher up in the neck–should have area of dorsal column that corresponds to all sensory info coming from upper extremities
Is the DCML pathway difficult to activate?
DCML pathway is very sensitive
Able to pick up very small changes in pressure
How does signal flow if you were to have sensory info start at your foot?
Tickle foot
Sensory info passes through dorsal root into dorsal root ganglia into dorsal column
Since sensation is coming from low area–send through fasciculus Gracilis pathway up the spinal cord
info is ascending on same side it came in until it gets to medulla (crossover)
Info then passes through structure in brainstem called medial lemniscus
Then info sent to thalamus to the ventrobasal complex of thalamus
Then to internal capsule to parietal lobe
What is the purpose of the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus?
In charge of running info from DCML up to parietal lobe
What is the internal capsule and where is it located?
Sits just outside the thalamus (between thalamus and parietal lobe)
above ventrobasal complex
Provides a path for info on the way to the parietal love
What is another term for parietal lobe?
postcentral gyrus
What is another term for topographical layout showing which parts of the brain process different parts of the body?
Homunculus
What does the top part of the parietal lobe process?
Lower extremity info
What does the middle part of the parietal lobe process?
Trunk info
What does the posterior to trunk part of the parietal lobe process?
Upper extremity info
What does toward the back of the parietal lobe process?
face
What effect would a stroke affecting the top part of the parietal lobe have?
Messed up sensations in lower extremities
Region of brain injury determine what part of the body is affected
The hands have a lot of pressure sensors. How is this represented when looking at the parietal lobe?
Areas in the body that have lots of pressure sensors (hand/face) have larger areas in the brain that process those signals
Its a lot of information to process
What is necessary to have detailed/sensitive information perceived by parts of the body?
In order to have really detailed info from any part of the body we need to use lots of different types of pressure sensors
Areas in the body with lower density sensory receptors are taken care of by __________ portions of the parietal lobe.
smaller
EX: trunk–doesnt have very dense sensory receptors so hard to tell where someone is poking you in back
What are the 2 parts of the anterolateral system?
Anterior spinothalamic tract
Lateral spinothalamic tract
What is the anterolateral system responsible for?
Transmit pain signals up to brain through thalamus
What are the 2 paths pain can follow?
Fast pain signal
Slow pain signals
Why are pain signals called “spinothalamic”?
Corresponds to the fact that pain signals are going to go into the cord (within the spine) and usually relayed through the thalamus then out to parietal cortex
What are 2 interchangeable terms to describe pain pathways:
Spinothalamic tracts
Anterolateral tracts
What are the 2 spinocerebellar tracts?
Posterior spinocerebellar tract
Anterior spinocerebellar tract
What is the path of spinocerebellar tracts?
Sensory tracts that send info from spinal cord up to cerebellum
How is the grey matter divided and named?
Rexed’s Laminae / Rexed laminae
How are rexed laminae organized?
In the grey matter numbered from back to front
Most dorsal part of the grey matter would be in the dorsal horn
The most dorsal Rexed laminae:
Lamina I: first tip of dorsal horn
What is another name for Lamina I and what does it do?
Lamina Marginalis
known for being part of pathways that send fast pain up to the brain
Sent through A delta fibers
What is another term for pain fiber?
Nociceptor
What is the path that fast pain takes and which laminae is involved?
1) Fast pain comes in through dorsal root–>Dorsal rootlet into SC
2) Synapses on Lamina I
3) Signal crosses over to other side of the cord
4) Ascend into anterolateral pathway
First thing pain signal encounters is neurons that have cell bodies in lamina I
What is another name for Lamina II and III?
Substantia Gelatinosa
What is the function of substantia gelantinosa?
Important place for synapses in slow pain conduction
Where does slow pain synapse after entering SC through dorsal rootlet?
Slow pain synapses on cell bodies in lamina II, lamina III, and sometimes lamina V
How is slow pain routed?
Routed through non-myelinated nociceptors
C-fibers
Where does slow pain go after it synapses on lamina in dorsal horn?
After synapse, signal hops over to other side of cord and goes up via anterior spinalthalamic pathway (same as fast pain)
Where do mechanoreceptors synapse in the grey matter?
Can synapse anywhere from lamina I-VI (dorsal horn)
Where do mechanoreceptors feed sensory info?
Feed information into the grey matter of the cord
Where does the info from pressure sensors get routed?
Info is routed up through dorsal column
What are 2 ways motor neurons can be excited?
1) brain sending a signal
2) reflex arcs
Which lamina are associated with motor neurons?
Lamina VII, VIII, IX (located in anterior horn)
How many laminae do we have in the grey matter?
9
(lamina X is in the middle of the grey matter and deals with cross talk)
What is the function of the Rubrospinal tract?
Monitoring and adjusting voluntary movement
Modulation of voluntary movement
Similar to tracts that cerebellum uses
What is function of the Reticulospinal Tract:
Maintenance of underlying muscle tone in skeletal muscles
What is the function of Vestibulospinal Tract?
Helps maintain balance, monitors for changes in body positioning and rotational acceleration
Eye fixation/focus
Where is the descending pain suppression system located?
Located next to ascending pain pathway
How is the descending pain suppression system activated?
Activated in response to pain
Pain signal sent up to brain/brainstem sometimes activate descending pain suppression system
What is the function of descending pain suppression system?
Inhibitory in nature
Takes the edge off pain–doesnt usually completely suppress (it can but it usually doesnt) but runs in background to help body deal with pain
How many neurons are involved in the descending inhibitory complex (DIC)?
3 neurons:
Primary (1st neuron)
2nd order descending neuron
3rd order neuron
Where is the primary neuron (1st order) in descending inhibitory complex located?
Cell body in periventricular nucleus or periaqueductal grey
Where is the periaqueductal grey located?
Near cerebral aqueduct in midbrain of the brainstem
Where is the periventricular nucleus located?
Anterior to the periaqueductal grey: it front of the 3rd ventricle
What happens with the activation of the primary neuron in the DIC pathway?
Action potential is fired towards targets further down in the brainstem and spinal cord–enkephalin neurotransmitter is released
What happens to the 2nd order descending neuron when primary motor neuron is activated in DIC?
Primary motor neuron releases enkephalins–excites second order descending neuron to release serotonin
Where is the second order descending neuron located in descending inhibitory complex?
Cell body located in middle of the pons
What is the function of the second order descending neuron in DIC?
Serotonergic neuron–when excited releases serotonin
What is another name for serotonin?
5-HT
What neurotransmitter do second order descending neurons secrete and where do they do this?
Release serotonin in the spinal cord near the dorsal horn–acts on 3rd neuron in DIC
What is the name of the synapse from first order descending neuron in the pons?
Rapha Magnus Nucleus (RMN)
What is the function of the 3rd neuron in DIC and where is it located?
Very small enkephalin secreting neuron in the cord
How does the function of enkephalin differ from inside the cord vs in the brain?
In the cord enkephalin is inhibitory
In the brain enkephalin is excitatory
Where are enkephalin receptors located?
Located on nociceptors (1st order ascending pain neuron) and next neuron in ascending pain pathway (2nd order ascending neuron)
How does enkephalin affect nociceptors?
Nociceptor has dendrites in the periphery–info routed through dorsal rootlets into dorsal horn–and enkephalin receptor on it
When enkephalin binds to it, pain signal is shut down
Where does the 2nd order neuron in the ascending pathway synapse?
Lamina I, II, V
transmission would hop to other side of cord and ascend in anterolateral pathway
1st order ascending pain neuron:
pain receptor neuron
What is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord?
enkephalin
What is enkephalin?
endogenous morphine analog–all opiate receptors are enkephalin receptors
What makes up the endogenous opioid system?
Enkephalins and endorphins
What would happen if electrodes where implanted into periaqueductal grey area or periventricular nucleus?
Brain would be stimulated in those parts
Generate inhibitory pain signals–usually does not cause suppression just operates in the background and dulls pain perception a little bit
How can the DIC pathway be used with drugs?
Stimulate periventricular nucleus or periaqueductal grey areas to stimulate DIC pathway to reduce amount of perceived pain
What are some things that the body can sense as painful?
- damage to a nociceptor (crush or cut)
- Acidic conditions
- Elevated potassium
- Histamines
- Serotonin and acetylcholine in the periphery
- prostaglandins
- bradykinin
What is an example of acidic conditions that can lead to pain?
A build up of lactic acid in muscles from exercising
Why can elevated potassium be interpreted as pain?
high concentrations of potassium in the ECF can depolarize cells and it can be sensed as pain
Why are diabetics actually in pain and not just whiney?
If they haven’t gotten dialysis and their blood pH and potassium are screwed up then things are more painful
How do prostaglandins affect pain?
higher levels of prostaglandins make the sensitivity to things more severe
- if you inhibit the prostaglandins, you’ll feel less pain
What are the two types of medications that can be prescribed for chronic pain?
SSRIs and TCAs
How do SSRIs help with chronic pain?
it increases bioavailability of serotonin in the cord
- inhibiting the reuptake means there’s more serotonin in the synapse for longer
Tell me about TCAs –
- they’ve been around about 50-60 years
- went out of use because of the crappy side effects
- side effect is drowsiness, which could help you sleep if the chronic pain is making your mind overactive
What happens if pathways run parallel to each other?
- neurons close together can talk to each other
- neurons can shut down their neighbors
Why is it a good thing to have pain pathways running parallel to DCML/pressure pathways?
Because the DCML pathways can shut down the pain receptors - this is why your first instinct is to grab something when you hurt it
What is lateral inhibition?
when pressure sensors shut down pain signals
What is an example of lateral inhibition?
Acupuncture - putting needles in specific spots to deaden the pain signals
How does glutamate get released into the synapse?
Calcium comes in the cell through a voltage gated channel and interacts with the storage vesicles - it tells the vesicle to bind to the cell wall and dump it’s contents
What is the primary glutamate receptor?
AMPA receptors
How do AMPA receptors work?
It has a glutamate receptor connected to an ion channel - once the glutamate binds, it opens the channel and sodium floods in
What is the other main glutamate receptor?
NDMA receptor
What is different about NDMA receptors from AMPA receptors?
- they take longer to work - slower to open and slower to generate current
- bigger and able to let calcium in and a little bit of sodium
What are the two things an NDMA receptor need to open?
- neurotransmitter
- depolarization
What is blocking the NDMA receptors and why?
MAG
- the inside of a resting cell is negative so it pulls the mag closer to it, blocking the channels
- when the cell depolarizes, the cell becomes positive and pushes the mag away from it
- this is what causes a delay in these channels
What is a perk of having two different types of channels in the synapse?
Double the information can be sent
What is important to know about NDMA receptors through development?
As you get older, more NDMA receptors get planted in the synapse - you don’t have as many when you’re younger
What are some things that can block NDMA receptors?
- ethanol
- lead poisoning
- ketamine
- nitrous
- tramadol
How does ketamine work?
- it is a dissociative
- it only works on NDMA receptors, not AMPA
- it affects your perception of pain
- if it takes out the calcium pathway, it’s enough to keep us from registering pain
Why is tramadol a terrible drug?
- it doesn’t do much through the narcotic (enkephalin) receptors
- it somewhat has an SSRI affect
- may work in elderly or super sensitive people
- shouldn’t be used as a primary pain control post-op
What affect does chronic pain have on the receptors?
Chronic pain inserts more AMPA and NDMA receptors - the more they get activated, the more they populate in the synapse
- create more action potentials to make you more sensitive to pain
What are the 3 glutamate receptors Schmidt wants us to know?
- AMPA
- NDMA
- Kainate receptors
Which glutamate receptors are ionotropic?
AMPA, NDMA, kainate
Describe the typical pathway of the for pain (fast or slow):
Nociceptor (1st order neuron) in periphery senses pain
routes information through spinal nerve, dorsal root, dorsal rootlet
nociceptor has to synapse with second neuron
second neuron hops info to other side of cord via AWC
Pain signal is sent up through anterolateral columns
In typical pain transduction, where does the synapse occur?
Lamina I for fast pain
or
Lamina II/III/V for slow pain
Where is the second order descending neuron in the DIC pathway located?
Starts in the pons and stretches down to the spinal cord
moves inferiorly through the cord outside grey matter
When the 3rd order neuron in DIC pathway releases enkephalin, which side of the synapse is shut down? (pre or post)
Shuts down presynaptic and postsynaptic sides of the synapse
lowers activity in both neurons
what type of drugs can be used for managing pain transmission in the spinal cord and what do they target?
Enkephalin receptor agonist–targeting the enkephalin receptors (morphine receptors)
What happens at the cellular level with chronic pain?
Glutamate receptors are up-regulated and harder to inhibit with enkephalin analogs
enkephalin receptors are reduced and glutamate receptors are increased
What is another name for anterior spinothalamic tract and why?
paleospinothalamic tacts
older pathway not as developed as fast pain
What neurons are responsible for slow pain transmissio?
C-fibers
What neurotransmitters are involved with slow pain?
Substance P is the main neurotransmitter
CGRP
glutamate (not often but sometimes)
What is CGRP?
Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide–neurotransmitter that works in slow pain pathway
Why causes slow pain to be slow?
Neurotransmitters are slower to be released, slower to bind to targets, slower to generate changes in target membrane
slow transmission d/t non myelinated neurons
Glutamate in slow pain pathway:
slower to act and be released compared to fast pain
Difference in localization between fast and slow pain pathways:
slow pain–difficult to localize but can have general idea
fast pain–very localized
Where does slow pain terminate and what is this area known as?
Slow pain usually does not make it up to the thalamus (small portion can)
terminates at the top of the brainstem–reticular formation
Why is it difficult to localize slow pain?
Difficult to determine where pain is coming from since the signal is not processed in parietal lobe
What pathways is slow pain transmitted with?
pathways associated with thermoreceptors
hot, cold, vibration sensors
Where does slow pain synpase?
Synapses on lamina II, III, or V in dorsal horn of grey matter then crosses over and ascends via anterior spinothalamic tract
Which part of brain allows for localization of pain?
Somatosensory areas (parietal lobe)
Where is a portion of slow pain routed to that can increase perception of pain?
Slow pain engages more of the emotional centers of the brain
Where are the emotional centers in the brain located?
Emotional centers are very close to middle of brain around place where brainstem connects to diencephalon
True or False: Fast and slow pain have equal psychological effect on people:
False: chronic slow pain has more psychological effect on people compared to fast pain
messes with head
What neurons are involved in fast pain propagation?
A delta fibers (myelinated)
What is another name for pain sensors?
Nociceptors or free nerve endings
What is the primary neurotransmitter in fast pain?
Glutamate: fast to be released, fast to bind to receptor, and fast to generate AP in neuron
What is the mechanism of action of glutamate?
increases sodium and calcium permeability in the neuron
Where do fast pain signals get sent?
Parietal lobe–pattern that determines which part of the body is sensed in which part of the parietal lobe
What other info is fast pain routed up with?
Sensory info from DCML pathway
fast pain is transmitted to same part of brain that sensory info is transmitted to
Describe the path of fast pain:
Info comes in through dorsal rootlet
synapses on lamina I with second neuron
crossover at AWC
up lateral cord
fed into thalamus (ventrobasal complex)
info projected out to different parts of brain to interpret
Where is the crossover for fast and slow pain?
Anterior white commissure
Where does fast pain synapse?
Lamina I
What is another term for lateral spinothalamic tract?
Neospinothalamic tract: meaning “newer” pathway or recent branch off of slow pain pathway, more sophisticated than slow pain path
Term for old and term for new:
Old= paleo
New= neo
What are the 4 spinal reflex pathways we learned about?
Stretch Reflex
Tendon Reflex
Withdrawal Reflex (Flexor reflex)
Crossed Extensor Reflex
Which of the reflexes are involved in pain response?
Withdrawal Reflex
Crossed Extensor Reflex
What type of receptors are enkephalin?
GPCRs
What are enkephalin receptors linked to?
a potassium channel - when opiates hit the receptors, it opens potassium channels to make it harder to excite
What are alpha 2 receptors linked to?
potassium channels
What medications are alpha 2 agonists?
Xylazine (least specific)
Clonidone
Precedex (most specific)
What is the benefit to using alpha 2 agonists?
they don’t produce sensations upstairs - you get pain suppression and relaxation
How do volatile anesthetics work?
Increase potassium conductance - suppression in the synapse
Where is cox 2 used?
Within the first and second order ascending pain neurons
What does cox 2 do?
makes more prostaglandins that interact with PG receptors - increase sensitivity of the neurons
How does iNOS affect pain?
Nitric oxide synthase -
increases sensitivity of the synapse to painful stimuli