The Spinal Cord Nerves And Reflexes Chapter 13 Flashcards
What are the three functions of the spinal cord?
Conduction of electrical impulses
Locomotion supply skeletal muscles
Reflexes automatic and predictable response to stimulation
What is the length of the spinal cord and it extends from where to where
It is 17 in Long
It extends from the foramen magnum to L2( second lumbar vertebrae)
What is the foramen Magnum?
A hole at the base of the skull
How many nerves extend from the spinal cord
31 pairs of special nerves
What are the cervical and lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord
They are bulges where nerves that supply the upper and lower limbs exit the cord
What is the medullary cone
Also known as the conus medullaris
It is a tapering of the spinal cord
What is the cauda equina?
The way the spinal nerves fan out at the end of the cord like a horse’s tail
What are meninges and what are the three kinds
They are fibrous membranes that enclose the spinal cord and brain
Dura mater
Arachnoid
Pia mater
What is the dura mater made of
A collagen membrane
What is the epidural space of the dura mater?
It is the space between the cranium and the dura mater filled with CSF
Where is an epidural anesthesia placed?
In the epidural space
It is added at this point for surgery or childbirth
What is arachnoid meninges made of and what is the subarachnoid space filled with
It is made of simple squamous collagen and elastic fibers
The subarachnoid space is also filled with CSF and lies below the arachnoid layer
What are the features of the pia mater?
It means delicate mother
It adheres to the cord and brain
What is the terminal filum?
It is a continuation of a pia mater that anchors the cord to the tailbone
Are the dorsal and ventral horns made of gray matter or white matter
Gray matter
What area are the lateral horns found in?
The thoracic and lumbar areas only
Another name for commissure
Connector
What impulses does the dorsal root of us found out of carry versus their ventral root
The dorsal root carries sensory impulses
The ventral root carries motor impulses
Are the dorsal lateral and ventral columns made of gray matter or white matter?
White matter
Where do the ascending and descending tracks of the spinal tracts carry impulses to and from
Ascending tracks carry impulses to the brain
Descending tracks carry impulses away from the brain
