The CNS and normal neuromuscular and musculoskeletal function week 3 Flashcards
Anatomy of brainstem
Week 2 of CNS and Normal musculature
Link to neuroanatomy resource
Anatomy of brainstem
Posterior brainstem anatomy
Hypothalamus
What is a reflex ?
A reflex is defined as an involuntary, unlearned, repeatable, automatic reaction to a specific stimulus which does not require input from the brain.
Where do the cell bodies of the sensory neurons and motor neurons live ?
- The cell bodies of the sensory neurons are found in the dorsal root ganglia.
- The cell bodies of the motor neurons are found in the grey matter of the ventral horn
What are alpha motor neurons ?
- Are lower motor neurons of the brainstem and spinal cord.
- Within the spinal cord there neurons originate in laminae VIII and IX of the ventral horn and are somatotopically organised.
- That is to say, neurons which innervate distal musculature are located lateral to those which innervate axial muscles, and neurons which innervate extensors are ventral to those which innervate flexors.
- Multipolar neurons: is a type of neuron that possesses a single axon and many dendrites
- They innervate extrafusal muscle fibers of skeletal
muscle and are directly responsible for initiating their contraction - The function of α-motor neurons is to cause contraction of the muscle fibres they innervate. It has been described as ‘the final common pathway’, as α-motor neurons are essential for muscle contraction.
This can either been under voluntary control, through the action of UMNs, or through eliciting the myotatic stretch reflex, as α-motor neurons form the efferent portion of the reflex arc. Therefore, there can be no coordinated muscle contraction if the α-motor neurons are not functioning
Difference between upper motor neurons (UMN) and lower motor neurons (LMN) ?
- For upper motor neurons the axons remain in the spinal cord or brain.
- For lower motor neurons the axons leave the spinal cord and brain.
Inputs to the spinal alpha motor neurons ?
Alpha motor neurons receive input from:
- muscle spindles (Ia afferents)
- Golgi tendon organs (Ib afferents)
- Cutaneous receptors
- Spinal Interneurons
- Upper motor neurons
Motor neuron disease
Describe the Stretch (myotatic reflex) ?
Stretch reflex:
- The stretch reflex begins at the sensory neuron then synapses with the motor neuron. No intermediate neuron is needed.
Muscle spindles: are STRETCH RECEPTORS located within the muscles.
Muscle spindle is made up of Intrafusal and extrafusal muscle fibers. Wrapped around the muscle spindle is a sensory neuron which will send stimulus proprioception sensory information via a Ia afferent nerve.
Within the muscle spindle we have gamma (y) motor neurons.
y motor neurons only control the intraspinal muscle fibres.
a motor nerones control the extrafusal muscle fibres.
- Blue sensory neuron wrapped around the muscle spindle is activated when the muscle changes length and sends information through the Ia afferent into the dorsal horn.
- The Ia afferent neuron synapses directly with the a-motor neuron which controls the extrafusal muscle fibers causing contraction of the muscle.
- When we add weight to the muscle it stretches and elongates. This causes an increase in the number of action potentials they send to the motor neuron. The motor neuron fires more action potentials which is going to cause contraction of the muscle.
- When the spindle fiber is elongated it becomes floppy. To accommodate the length of the extrafusal fibers, the y neurons adjust the length of the spindle by contracting the intrafusal fibers.
Co activation of the y and alpha motor neurons ?
y motor neurons are coactivated with alpha motor neurons so the muscle spindle can adjust to whatever length the muscle is at any given moment.
Give an example of a stretch (myostatic) reflex?
- Knee Jerk reflex
- measure this clinically using the patellar tendon tap
- All spinal reflexes involve activation of one muscle and inhibition of another muscle. This is because all muscles work in pairs. Agonists and antagonists
Describe the inverse stretch reflex pathway ? (aka the Golgi tendon reflex pathway)
- This reflex involves the activation of the Golgi tendon organ.
- The Golgi tendon is not located in the muscle itself but instead is found in the tendon.
- the golgi tendon sends sensory signals via a 1b afferent that enters the dorsal horn. This synapses with an intermediatory neuron and causes INHIBITION of the tendon.
- The purpose pf the inverse stretch reflex pathway is to protect the muscles from being damaged.
- The golgi tendon reflex has a high reflex which means it requires a lot of force before it sends an action potential or is activated.
Function of the inverse stretch pathway: encodes and regulates muscle tension - protects the muscles and tendons from harm.
Inverse stretch reflex pathway
If you pick up a heavy weight, the golgi tendon is activated. The muscle is inhibited and you drop the weight. This autonomic reflex stops the muscle from being damaged. You have no control over it. It just happens.
Because muscles work in pairs when the flexor muscle is contracting the exensor muscle relaxes.
Describe the flexor withdawal pathway ?
- this is a polysynaptic neuron
Describe central pattern generators ?
- are automated things we do that are not reflexes eg walking and running
- Central pattern generators: Neural networks that produce oscillatory (rhythmic) patterned outputs without sensory feedback. This system does not require any sensory feedback.
- Central pattern generators do not need to be learned.
What are the 3 types of muscle ?
Skeletal – striated muscle that is under voluntary control from the somatic nervous system. Identifying features are cylindrical cells and multiple peripheral nuclei.
Cardiac – striated muscle that is found only in the heart. Identifying features are single nuclei and the presence of intercalated discs between the cells.
Smooth – non-striated muscle that is controlled involuntarily by the autonomic nervous system. The identifying feature is the presence of one spindle-shaped central nucleus per cell.