Week 1 - Intro and brain body connection

Question 1

What is a cerebrovascular accident?

Answer 1

Something that effects the blood flow to the brain or in the brain

Question 2

White matter in the brain

Answer 2

Responsible for communication between various grey matter regions

Schwann cell is the cell that wraps around the axon of the neurone and protects it, as it is made of fatty myelin - it is white. Fat is white in the human brain. Fat can be from white to brown.

Question 3

Grey matter in the brain

Answer 3

Where the processing is done in the brain

Made up of cell bodies of neurones

Question 4

Corticospinal tract

Answer 4

Pathway neurones travel from the brain to the spinal cord - being efferent (motor)

Question 5

What % of neurones crosses over above the spinal cord when travelling the corticospinal tract?

Answer 5

85%

Question 6

Internuncial

Answer 6

Forming connections between other neurones in the CNS

They are found between UMN and LMN

Question 7

Upper motor neuron

Answer 7

The motor neurones responsible for the communication from the brain to the spinal cord. Once the impulse leaves through a spinal nerve it is called a lower motor neuron.

Question 8

True or false: The corticospinal tract is primarily a group of
lower motor neurones (LMN)

Answer 8

False

Question 9

Peripheral nerve lesion

Answer 9

No increase in muscle tone, if muscle is wholly supplied by that nerve there will be no muscle activity.

Question 10

Why does muscle tone increase with an UMN lesion

Answer 10

As the UMN is no longer able to communicate with the muscles, the LMN “relfex centre” will be overworked therefore causing a lot of muscle activation

Question 11

What ascending pathways affected in stroke patients

Answer 11

Loss of sensation will be a factor to a stroke patient on one side of the body. Sensation loss can be vague, diffuse, global, on one side.

Question 12

If the spinal nerve of L2 was cut you would expect to see what in the quads

Answer 12

A partial loss of muscle activity in the quadriceps

Question 13

The meninges layer from superficial to deep

Answer 13

• Dura mater = thick bilaminar layer, most superficial
• Arachnoid mater = thin, middle layer (spider web
  i.e.latin name)
• Pia mater = delicate and intimately bonded to neural structure

Question 14

Function of meninges

Answer 14

• Protect the brain
• Supporting structure for vascular components
• Enclose fluid filled cavity (subarachnoid space)
  i.e. the cerebrospinal fluid

Question 15

What happens to the layers from brain to spinal cord?

Answer 15

They are continuous from brain to spinal cord

Question 16

If the meninges was not continuous from brain to spinal cord, what would happen to the cerebrospinal fluid?

Answer 16

It would leak from the brain.

Question 17

Cranium is categorised into two areas

Answer 17

Neurocranium, viscerocranium

Question 18

What enters the foramen magnum?

Answer 18

The spinal cord and blood supply

Question 19

What landmarks you must know or palpate in the cranium

Answer 19

Mandible, frontal bone, parietal bone, temporal bone, occipital bone

Question 20

Palpate

Answer 20

Cranium
1. Zygomatic arch
2. TMJ (open/shut mouth)
3. Mastoid process
4. External occipital
protuberance (look up to
take tension off nuchal
ligament)

Extra
1. Spinous process from C2 to L5
2. Transverse process from C2 to
C6
3. External occipital protuberance
4. Temporomandibular jt
5. Mastoid process
6. Clavicle
7. Scapula
8. Radius
9. Ulnar
10. Acromioclavicular jt
11. Metacarpals
12. Phalanges
13. Metacarpophalangeal jts
14. Interphalangeal jts

Question 21

The course of blood from heart to brain (both ways)

Answer 21

From heart to brain is the carotid artery and the vertebral artery

From the brain to the heart is the external and internal jugular vein

Question 22

2 types of strokes and what occurs and which is most common?

Answer 22

Ischaemic stroke which is loss of blood flow which leads to damage to brain tissue from it being starved of oxygen.

Haemorrhagic stroke which is where a blood vessel ruptures and bleeding into cerebral tissue has killed nuerones from pressure or chemical troxicity.

Ischaemic is most common.

Question 23

Lesions from superior to inferior in the CNS and PNS

Answer 23

Neural lesion -> UMN lesion -> LMN lesion -> spinal nerve lesion -> peripheral nerve lesion

Question 24

Three pathological mechanisms by which a CVA can occur

Answer 24

Aneurysm, embolism, blockage

An aneurysm will eventually cause a break within the blood vessel wall, resulting in blood loss. Blood is very toxic to neural tissue, which will cause it to become damaged. Loss of blood via an aneurysm will also reduce the normal blood flow upstream to parts of the brain where it is required for oxygen and nutrients. Blockages and embolisms will physically reduce blood flow (and therefore oxygen and nutrients) by occluding the blood vessels.

Question 25

What does cross over mean in the brain?

Why is this important to know?

Answer 25

Afferent and efferent pathways cross (decussate) to the other side of the body as they travel through the corticospinal tract in the medulla (midbrain).

Injuries that occur on the right side of the brain mean there will be loss of motor control or sensation of the left side of the body.

Question 26

So Long to Pinky, Here comes the thumb

Answer 26

Left proximal to right, right to left distal carpal bones

1. Scaphoid
2. Lunate
3. Triquetrum
4. Pisiform
5. Hamate
6. Capitate
7. Trapezoid
8. Trapezium