The Spinal Cord Flashcards
what is directly posterior from the 2 laminae in the spine’s vertebrae
the spinous process
what is directly lateral from the junction of the lamina and the pedicle in the spinal vertebra
the transverse process
which processes form the inferior and superior surface of every spinal vertebra and consist of 2 superior and 2 inferior ones
the articular processes
what type of joint is it between 2 articular processes of vertebrae?
a synovial joint
what is the boundary of the spine superiorly and inferiorly
the foramen magnum and conus medularis
at what vertebral level does the spinal cord terminate in the: a. adult b. child
a. L1 b.L3
at what level of the vertebra (in broad terms) does the lumbosacral plexus arise
thoracolumbar area
what is the filum terminali?
a prolongation of th epia mater that surrounds the spinal cord that attaches to the posterior surface to the coccyx inferiorly
how many pairs of spinal nerves are there in total
31
how many pairs of spinal nerves are there in the lumbar region?
5
what type of nerve is contained withing the dorsal root ganglion
sensory nerves
where does the central canal of the spinal cord open into superiorly?
the 4th ventricle
once at the conus medularis of the spinal cord what happens to the central canal?
it expands into the fusiform terminal ventricle
give 3 things that are in the grey matter of the spinal cord
nerve cell bodies, the dendrites and synapses
what region of the spinal cod innervate the a.upper limbs b.lower limbs; and what are the enlargements of these regions called
a.cervical b.lumbosacral. cervical and lumbosacral enlargements
in what region of the spinal cord is a lateral grey column present and what types of nerve fibres do they provide
the thoracic and upper lumbar regions. sympathetic autonomic innervation
what is the name of the smaller, multipolar nerve cells that pass out of the spinal cord to innervate the intrafusal fibres of the neuromuscular spindles
alpha gamma efferent fibres
what does the medial aspect of the anterior grey column innervate
the muscles of the limbs
what does the lateral aspect of the anterior grey column innervate
skeletal muscles of the trunk and neck. including those of the abdomen and intercostals
what does the central aspect of the anterior grey column innervate
in the cervical part f the cord, some of these supply the diaphragm, so are called the phrenic plexus. the upper 5 or 6 segments in the cervical region innervate the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, so are the accessory nucleus ass they form the spinal part of the accessory nerve.
what 2 nerve cell groups in posterior grey column extend the whole length of the spinal cord
the substantia gelatinosa (receives inputs of pain temp and touch) and the nucleus proprius ( receives information on proprioception, 2 point discrimination and vibration)
does the fasiculus cuneatus innervate upper or lower limbs?
upper.
what segments of the spinal cord is clarke’s column present at?
thoracic and lumbar
what segments innervate the abdominal muscles?
T7-L1
for the lateral grey column, it is absent in the lumbosacral part, apart from at what levels? and what do type of innervation so they do?
s2-4. autonomic parasympathetic innervation
what 3 tissues make up the white column of the spinal cord?
neuroglia, blood vessels and tracts
other than ascending and descending tracts, there are intersegmental tracts, what do they do?
they serve to link different parts of the spinal cord together
what is exteroception?
information that originatea from outside the body (pain, temp and touch) which are done by the spinothalamic tracts
what is proprioception
information that originates from inside the body (so from muscles and joints) so DCML
what spinal nerves form the brachial plexus?
c3-t1
what segments innervate the lower limb?
L1-s3
at what time in utero does the spinal cord run the whole length of the spinal cord?
3rd month
how many vertebra higher do the a.cervical roots b. thoracic c.lumbar lie?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3-4
name 6 sensory tracts in the spinal cord
the spinotectal tract, spinolivary tract, dorsal column medial lemniscus, the spinocerebellar tract, the spinoreticular tract, the spinothalamic tract
3 senses of DCML tract
proprioception, vibration and discriminitive touch
what are the fasciculi of the DCML
fasciculus gracilis and fasciculus cuneatus
which of the columns of DCML are sensory for a.the lateral and upper body b. medial and lower body
a.cuneatus b. gracilis
what are the 4 sensors for DCML
meisners, pacinian corpucsles, ruffini (wrong spelling probs) and merkel endings
