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Neuro Anatomy > The Spinal Cord > Flashcards

The Spinal Cord Flashcards

1
Q

What forms the spinal canal ?

A

It is formed by the vertebral foramen of vertebral bodies, with reinforcement at the walls through vertebral discs and anterior and inferior longitudinal ligaments.

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2
Q

What contains the spinal canal ?

A
  • Spinal cord
  • meninges
  • blood vessels
  • spinal nerves roots
  • fatty and connective tissues
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3
Q

What are the 3 main (and broad) functions of the spinal cord ?

A
  • receives much of the sensory information about the environment
  • carries all the informations that supply the voluntary muscles
  • conduit for the longitudinal flow to and from the brain
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4
Q

Where are the two enlargements of the SC located ?

A

Cervical level : motor supply for upper limbs
Lumbrosacral level : motor supply for lower limbs

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5
Q

What is the name of the tip of the SC ?

A

The medullary cone, located between T12 and L1

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6
Q

What is the name of the SC from L2 to S5?

A

The Cauda equina

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7
Q

What is the name of the very end of the SC? What is it made of ?

A

The terminal filum which becomes part of the coccygeal ligament. It is a thickening of the pia matter that enchors the SC to sacrum.

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8
Q

List the meninges of the SC

A
  • dura matter
  • arachnoid matter
  • pia matter
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9
Q

Describe the dura mater

A

Spreads from the foramen magnum to filium terminale. It is surrounded by epidural space (epidural anesthesia), areaolar connective tissue, fat and blood vessels.

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10
Q

Describe the main features of the arachnoid mater

A

Part of the meninges
Subarachnoid space is filled with CSF
There is a large lumbar cistern of subarachnoid space filled with CSF around the conus medullaris and cauda equina (target place for lumbar punctures/ spinal tap)

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11
Q

List the main blood supplies of the spinal cord

A
  • single anterior spinal artery
  • paired posterior spinal arteries
  • anterior radicular arteries
  • posterior radicular arteries
  • arterial vasocroma (anastomose between spinal arteries)
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12
Q

What brain structures are irrigated by the paired posterior spinal arteries ?

A

Upper part of the spinal cord
Brainstem
Cerebellum
Posterior part of the brain

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13
Q

From where do the pared posterior spinal arteries emerge and lead to ?

A

They emerge from the first part of subclavian artery
They connect into basilar artery

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14
Q

What is irrigated by the anterior spinal artery ?

A
  • anterior gray columns
  • lateral gray columns
  • central gray matter
  • anterior funiculus
  • lateral funiculus
  • anterior portion of the posterior gray matter
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15
Q

What is irrigated by the posterior spinal arteries ?

A
  • posterior portion of the posterior gray matter
  • posterior funiculus
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16
Q

What is irrigated by radicular arteries ?

A
  • the entire length of the spinal cord
  • spinal nerves roots
  • anterior spinal artery
  • posterior spinal arteries
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17
Q

What is irrigated by the arterial vasocroma ?

A

Pia mater of spinal meninges

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18
Q

What are the components of the spinal cord ?

A
  • white matter
  • gray matter with central canal
  • dorsal horn and ventral horn which merge to form spinal nerves
19
Q

What is the white matter in the spinal cord ?

A

A collection of myelinated nerve fibers that carry signal up and down to and from the brain.
It is composed of 3 paris of funiculi (2X dorsal, 2X lateral, 2X ventral). Each funiculus is filled with named tracks (fasciculi = fibers with a similar origin, destination and function).

20
Q

What is a first order neuron ?

A

A first order neuron carries signals from the periphery to the spinal cord.

21
Q

What is a second order neuron ?

A

A second order neuron carries signals from the spinal cord to the thalamus

22
Q

What is a third order neuron

A

A third order neuron carries signal from the thalamus to the primary sensory cortex

23
Q

What is the function of ascending pathways ?

A

Ascending pathways transport sensory information related to touch in afferent pathways from the body to the brain. Touch includes : pain, thermal changes, crude and light touch, two points discrimination, vibration, proprioception.

24
Q

List the known ascending tracts

A

Dorsal column medial lemniscus :
- gracile fasciculus
- cuneate fasciculus

Dorsal spinocerebellar tract

Ventral spinocerebellar tract

Antero lateral system:
- spinothalamic
- spinoreticular

25
Q

List the mechanoreceptors and their function

A
  • pacinian corpuscles : vibration, pressure
  • meissner’s corpuscles : light touch
  • merkel’s disc : pressure
  • golgi tendon : proprioception
  • joint receptors
  • nociceptors : noxious stimuli
  • muscle spindles : stretch
26
Q

Describe the reflex arc

A

1) receptor
2) sensory neuron
3) interneuron
4) motor neuron
5) effector

27
Q

What is the function of the descending pathways ?

A

Descending tracts transport motor information in afferent pathways from brain to body

28
Q

What are the two broad types of descending pathways ?

A
  • pyramidal tracts
  • extrapyramidal tracts
29
Q

What is the function of pyramidal tracts ?

A

Conscious control of muscles from the cerebral cortex to the muscles of body and face

30
Q

What is the function of extra pyramidal tracts ?

A

Unconscious, responsive, reflexive control of muscles from various brainstem structures to postural and anti-gravity muscles

31
Q

What are the two types of neurons present in the descending tracts

A

Upper motor neuron
Lower motor neuron

32
Q

What is the function of the upper motor neuron ?

A

Part of the descending tracts
Link between brain-Brainstem and ventral horn of spinal cord

33
Q

What is the function of the lower motor neuron ?

A

Link between ventral horn of the spinal cord and peripheral muscle

34
Q

What is gray matter made of ?

A

Somas (cells’ bodies) surrounding the central canal and unmyalinated axons.
It can be divided into :
- posterior gray horn
- anterior gray horn
- lateral gray horn
- posterior gray commissure
- anterior gray commissure

35
Q

What are the two groups composing soma ?

A
  • motor nuclei
  • sensory nuclei
36
Q

What are the nuclei located in the posterior gray horn ?

A
  • somatic sensory nuclei
  • visceral sensory nuclei
37
Q

What are the nuclei located in the anterior gray horn ?

A

Somatic motor nuclei

38
Q

What are the nuclei located in the lateral gray horn ?

A

Only in thoracic and lumbar segments :
- visceral motor nuclei

39
Q

What composes the anterior and posterior gray commissures ?

A

Axons crossing laterally from one side of the SC to the other side

40
Q

What is a laminae, how many are they ?

A

There are 10 laminae
A laminae is a area of the spinal cord were cells are grouped according to their structure and function

41
Q

What is the common functions of the laminae 1 to 4 ?

A

Exteroceptive sensation in the dorsal horn

42
Q

What are the common functions of lamina 5 and 6

A

Proprioceptive sensation

43
Q

What is the main function of lamina 7

A

Relay between muscle spindles and cerebellum

44
Q

What are the common functions of laminae 8 to 10

A

Mainly motor neurons (ventral)
Lamina 10 surrounds the central canal and contains neuroglia

Neuro Anatomy (15 decks)

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