Week 2 Flashcards
Where do the CNS and PNS develop from?
Ectoderm
What other structures develop from ectoderm?
Sensory epithelium of the ear, nose and eye; the epidermis, hair and nails; the subcutaneous, mammary and pituitary gland; and the enamel of teeth
When does the CNS first appear?
End of week 3
What are the first signs of the CNS appearance?
Thickening of the ectoderm layer in the mid-dorsal region of the primitive streak
How does development of the notochord begin?
From the primitive node a tube extends under the ectoderm in the opposite direction to the primitive streak- this tube forms first the axial process, then the notochord process, and finally the notochord
What is the role of the notochord?
Role in molecular signalling and controlling the direction of embryonic folding, as well as an inductive relationship with overlying ectoderm
What is the initial event in the process of neurulation?
Thickening of the ectoderm (induced by the appearance of the notochord and mesoderm) to form the neural plate; the cells of which make up the neuroectoderm
Describe the neural plate:
Made of neruoectoderm, it lengthens and its lateral edges elevate (forming neural folds, and a depressed mid-region forms the neural groove)
How is the neural tube formed?
Neural folds approach each other in the midline and fuse
What factors define the being of the neural plate?
Intrinsic factors: cytoskeleton, stage of cell cycle; and extrinsic factors: adhesion points e.g. within notochord, surface ectoderm
What signals are expressed in neurulation?
Up-regulation of FGF, inhibition of BMP-4 caused induction of the neural plate; chordin and noggin are expressed’ neural plate switched from E-cadherin to N-cadherin expression
How are neural crest cells formed?
Tissue at the top of the neural folds becomes pinched off- neural crest tissue
What do neural crest cells give rise to?
Ganglia, Schwann cells, adrenal medulla, melanocytes and connective tissue in the head
What malformations can result from disruption of neural crest cell migration?
Treacher Collins syndrome- under development of the zygomatic bones and ears
Di George syndrome- cleft palate, cardiac abnormalities, abnormal facies, thymic aplasia
How does closure of the neural tube take place?
Fusion begins in the cervical region and proceeds in cephalic and caudal directions; open ends of the tube form the anterior and posterior neuropores (connect with the overlying amniotic cavity)
When is closure of the neural tube complete?
In week 4- anterior by day 25 and posterior by day 27
How does differentiation of the spinal cord occur?
Once the neural tube closes, the neuroepithelial cells give rise to neuroblasts and form the mantle layer (later forms the grey matter of the spinal cord); the outer layer- marginal layer- contains nerve fibres emerging from neuroblasts in the mantle layer
Where do motor axons grow from?
Out of neurones in the basal plate (ventral horn)
Where do neurons in dorsal root ganglia extend towards?
The dorsal horn and periphery
When does development of the brain begin?
Week 3
What are the 3 primarily brain vesicles?
Forebrain (prosencephalon), midbrain (mesencephalon) and hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
What does uneven growth give rise to?
Folds, or flexures: cephalic flexure (convex dorsally), pontine flexure (convex ventrally) and cervical flexure (convex dorsally)
How does the brain develop in between week 3 and 5?
The forebrain becomes the telencephalon (gives rise to cerebrum) and diencephalon (becomes eye cup, thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus); the midbrain remains; and the hindbrain becomes the metencephalon (gives rise to pons and cerebellum) and the myelencephalon (gives rise to medulla oblongata)
Where do meninges develop from?
Mesenchymal cells and neural crest cells- at day 20-35 these cells migrate around the neural tube
Where do the choroid plexuses develop from?
Where pia mater and ependyma (roof plate of myelencephalon region) come into direct contact (e.g. roof of fourth ventricle)
When does the developing eye appear?
Day 22 (to week 10) as a pair of shallow grooves
What are optic vesicles?
Outgrowths from the diencephalon of forebrain; in contact with surface ectoderm and induce changes necessary for lens formation
What is the placode?
A thickening of ectoderm formed by invagination of placode cells
What is the blood supply of the developing eye?
Grooves arise on the ventral surface of the optic cup, forming the choroidal fissure; a branch of the ophthalmic artery- hyaloid artery- passes along the choroidal fissure to supply the lens and developing retina
What is the optic cup?
Bilaminar structure- outer layer forms the pigmented layer of retina, inner layer forms the nervous layer of retina- space between layers disappears as axons grow from the optic nerve, but potential weakness remains
What is the lens derived from?
Surface ectoderm
How does the lens develop?
Cells of the lens vesicle elongate anteriorly to form long lens fibres, and arrange in a laminar patter to form a transparent lens
How does optic nerve development occur?
Week 6- optic cup is connected to brain by optic stalk, hyaloid vessels in choroid fissure
Week 7- inner and outer layer fuse, cavity of the stalk disappears; inner layer cells provide a network of neuroglia that support the optic nerve fibres
Week 9- optic stalk becomes optic nerve; hyaloid artery and vein become central artery and vein of the retina
How does the eyeball develop?
Mesenchyme around optic cup condenses to form the layers of the eyeball, the choroid and sclera; the most anterior part of the cornea becomes transparent, and spaces develop in the mesenchyme between the cornea and lens (becoming the anterior chamber of the eye); fibrous tissue with a gelatinous substance fills the gap between the lens and retina, forming the vitreous body- posterior chamber
How does the eyelid develop?
Fold of ectoderm with mesenchyme between them that grow over the cornea fuse and enclose a conjunctival sac anterior to the cornea. The inner layer of ectoderm becomes the conjunctiva and over the iris, it fuses with the cornea. Eyelids separate again between the 5th and 7th month in utero
What is the key regulatory molecule expressed in eye development?
PAX6, expressed in anterior neural plate before neurulation begins; sonic hedgehog is involved in orbit separation
How do lacrimal glands develop?
As ectodermal buds from the upper conjunctival sac into the surrounding mesoderm
What are the functions of the blood brain barrier?
Maintain constant environment, protect brain from foreign substances, protect brain from peripheral transmitters
Describe general anaesthetic agents:
Drugs used to produce surgical anaesthesia; inhalation or IV; examples halothane, isoflurane (gases- inhalational), propofol (IV)
Describe anxiolytics and sedatives:
Drugs that causes sleep and reduce anxiety- act on GABA-A receptor; examples- barbiturates, benzodiazepines (diazepam)
Describe antishizophrenia drugs:
Drugs that are effective in relieving the symptoms of schizophrenic illness; examples- “typical” (chlorpromazine, haloperidol), “atypical” (clozapine, olanzapine)
Describe antidepressant drugs:
Drugs that alleviate the symptoms of depressive illness; therapeutic onset 2-4 weeks (affective disorders- of mood rather than thought/cognition); examples: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (phenelzine), tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine), SSRIs (fluoxetine), rapid onset (ketamine)
Describe analgesic drugs:
Drugs used clinically for controlling pain; examples: opiates, baclofen, NSAIDS
Describe psychomotor stimulants:
Drugs that cause wakefulness and euphoria; examples: cocaine, amphetamine, methylphenidate (Ritalin), caffeine
Describe pychotomimetic drugs:
Drugs that cause disturbances of perception and of behaviour, that cannot be simply characterised as sedative or stimulant effects; examples: LSD, mescaline, ketamine, phenycyclidine, THC
Describe cognition enhancers:
Drugs that improve memory and cognitive performance; examples: galatamine, donepezil (AChE inhibitors- Alzheimer’s disease)
What is the spinal cord protected by in the epidural space?
A cushion of fat and connective tissue found between the dura and the wall of the vertebral canal
Describe the dura mater:
- Most superficial of spinal meninges
- Thick strong layer composed of dense irregular connective tissue
- Forms a sac from the level of the foramen magnum to the second sacral vertebra
Which of the meninges is continuous with the epineurium, the outer covering of spinal and cranial nerves?
Dura mater
Describe the arachnoid mater:
- Thin avascular middle layer comprised of cells and thin, loosely arranged collagen and elastic fibres
- Deep to the dura and continuous through the foramen magnum with the arachnoid mater of the brain
What is between the arachnoid and dura mater?
Thin subdural space which contains interstitial fluid
Describe the pia mater:
- Innermost matrix, composed of thin, transparent connective tissue layer that adheres to the surface of the spinal cord and brain
- Consists of thin squamous to cuboidal cells with interlacing bundles of collagen fibres and some fine elastic fibres
- Many blood vessels within the pia mater
What are the denticulate ligaments?
Triangular-shaped membranous extensions of the pia mater that suspend the spinal cord in the middle of its dural sheath
Where do the denticulate ligaments project?
Laterally and fuse with the arachnoid mater and inner surface of the dura mater between the anterior and posterior nerve roots of spinal nerves on either side
Where do the denticulate ligaments extend?
Down the entire length of the spinal cord and protect against sudden displacement that could result in shock
What is between the arachnoid and pia mater?
Subarachnoid space which contains CSF
Where does the spinal cord extend to in adults?
From the medulla oblongata to the superior border of the second lumbar vertebra
Where does the spinal cord extend to in newborn infants?
Third or fourth lumbar vertebra
Why is the spinal cord different lengths in adults and newborns?
Spinal cord and vertebra grow, but spinal cord stops growing at around 4/5 while vertebral column growth continues
Where does the cervical enlargement extend from, and what arises at it?
The fourth cervical vertebra to the first thoracic vertebra from which the nerves to and from the upper limbs arise
Where does the inferior enlargement extend from, and what arises from it?
From the 9th to the 12th thoracic vertebra, from which nerves to and from the lower limb arise
What does the spinal cord terminate as?
A tapering, conical structure called the conus medullaris
What arises from the conus medullaris?
The filum terminale, an extension of the pia mater that extends inferiorly and fuses with the arachnoid mater and dura mater and anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx
What connects each spinal nerve to a segment of the cord?
Two bundles of axons, called roots, and by even smaller bundles of axons called rootlets
Are dorsal roots and rootlets motor or sensory?
Only sensory axons, which conduct nerve impulses from sensory receptors in the skin, muscles and internal organs to the CNS
What is the dorsal root ganglion?
A swelling in each dorsal root that contains the cell bodies of sensory neurons
Are ventral roots and rootlets motor or sensory?
Only motor, which conduct nerve impulses from CNS to effector
Where do spinal nerves exit as they branch off from the spinal cord?
Laterally through the intervertebral formamina between adjacent vertebrae
Where do the roots of lumbar, sacral and coccygeal nerves exit the cord?
They angle inferiorly alongside the filum terminale (cauda equina) and exit the vertebral column at their corresponding intervertebral space
What is the basic internal anatomy of the spinal cord?
Grey matter surrounded by white matter
What is white matter?
Primarily consists of bundles of myelinated axons of neurons
What grooves penetrate the white matter, dividing it into L and R sides?
The anterior median fissure, a wide groove on the ventral side, and the posterior median sulcus, a narrow furrow on the dorsal side
What is grey matter?
Consists of dendrites and cell bodies of neurons, unmyelinated axons and neuroglia
What is the grey commissure?
Grey matter bridging the L and R spinal cord
What is the central canal?
A small space in the centre of the grey commissure filled with CFS, extending the entire length of the spinal cord
What is the central canal continuous with in the medulla oblongata?
4th ventricle