Week 2 Lectures Flashcards
What is similar about CN 3, 4, 6, 12?
They exit medially/midline –> purely motor
What is similar about CN 5, 7, 8, 9 10?
They exit laterally –> both motor and sensory
How many cranial nerves enter/exit the brainstem?
9 (except 1, 2, 11)
Which cranial nerves exit the midbrain?
3 and 4
Which cranial nerves exit the pons?
5, 6, 7, 8
Which cranial nerves exit the medulla?
9, 10, 12
The medullary pyramid is….
the corticospinal tract/pyramidal tract
What is the only dorsally exiting CN?
4 –> under calliculi –> only completely crossed CN –> motor neurons are found on the side of the midbrain opposite to ascent/descent
What structure separates the cerebellum from the pons and medulla?
4th ventricle
Corticospinal tract courses _____ and _____ through the brainstem.
ventral and medial –> medial brainstem blood supply and lesioned with medium brainstem vascular lesion
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract below the brainstem?
UMN loss ipsilateral and below
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract in the brainstem?
UMN loss contralateral and below
What is the role of medial motor systems?
bilateral postural control
Medial lemniscus moves from _____ to ______ as it ascends the brainstem?
medial to lateral –> change source of blood
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract below the brainstem?
ipsilateral and below
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract above the brainstem?
contralateral and below
Where does the anterolateral system course?
laterally through the brainstem
T/F the anterolateral system courses straight to the thalamus.
F –> projects into other neurons in the brainstem to modulate the pain elicited by the stimulus
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract below the brainstem?
contralateral and below lesion
What happens if we lesion the corticospinal tract above the brainstem?
contralateral and below lesion
What aspect of the brain controls autonomic function?
hypothalamus
What system conducts sympathetic control of the face, scalp, and orbit?
2 neuron pathway from T1 involving a second neuron in the superior cervical ganglion –> horner’s syndrome
When you lesion descending hypothalamic fibers, what syndrome do patients present with?
central horner’s syndrome
When a patient presents with horner’s it is ipsilateral/contralateral to the lesion?
ipisilateral ALWAYS
Where do descending hypothalmic fibers run in the brainstem?
lateral near the spinothalamic tract –> shared blood supply
When there is interrupted lateral blood supply to the brainstem, which tracts are lesioned?
spinothalamic + sympathetic
Medial longitudinal fasciculus
links ocular CN nuclei and vestibular system –> conjugate horizontal gaze –> motor CNs 3 and 6 and vestibular system
What will be found in every brainstem section?
- long tract (corticospinal, dorsal column, spinothalamic, MLF, central tegmental tract)
- cranial nerve nucleus or nerve
- trigeminal nucleus
- cerebellar peduncle or fibers forming one (ICP-medulla, MCP-pons, SCP-midbrain)
LMN in a CN arise from?
corticobulbar or corticonuclear axons –> mostly bilateral UMN –> cranial nerve muscles often cross the midline
What would happen if we lesion all the corticobulbar axons emerging from one hemisphere?
not much –> still have innervation from opposite size
*exception: LMN in facial nerve have some muscles that are unilaterally innervated (muscles of nose and mouth are only contralateral)
What happens with a lesion of a LMN in the facial nerve?
ipsilateral effects –> bell’s palsy
What happens with a lesion of the UMN of the facial nerve?
only the muscles for wrinkling forehead and shutting the eyes have dual cortical innervation –> contralateral weakness of the lower face
Embryonic sulcus that separates sensory and motor areas
sulcus limitans
Functional columns
GSE GVE SVE | SVA/GVA SSA GSA
Motor Functional Columns
GSE = garden variety skeletal muscle (motor only: 3, 4, 6, 11, 12); GVE = parasympathetics (3 and mixed: 7, 9, 10); SVE = pharyngeal arch muscle (mixed only: 5, 7, 9 , 10)
What is the only motor cranial nerve that carries autonomics?
3- oculomotor
Sensory Functional Columns
GSA = pharyngeal arches (mixed only: 5, 7, 9, 10) --> mostly trigeminal; GVA = stretch and baroreceptors (9 and 10) SVA = taste (7, 9, 10)
Functional Columns- garden variety skeletal muscle
3 (adduct eye, raise eyelid), 4 (depress eye), 6 (abduct eye), 12 (move tongue), (and 11)–> most medial and motor
Where do the crossed oculomotor nerves go?
to the superior rectus and superior oblique on the contralateral side
Functional Columns - preganglionic
3 (Edinger Westphal - pupil constriction, near response), 7 (Superior salivatory nucleus - lacrimation), 9 (Inferior salivatory nucleus-parotid), 10 (Dorsal motor nucleus-gut)
Which axons exit the midbrain with the oculomotor nerve and synapse with neurons in the ciliary ganglion and where do they arise?
preganglionic parasympathetics from Edinger Westphal nucleus
What are the initial signs of CN3 compression?
dilated pupil, loss of lightreflex, and loss of near response on side of lesion
What nucleus gives rise to parasympathetic axons in the facial nerve?
Superior salivatory nucleus in the caudal pons –> pterygopalatine, lacrimal, and submandibular
What is the result of a lesion of parasympathetic axons in CN7?
loss of lacrimation–> dry ey on side of lesion
Where and what is the nucleus that gives rise to parasympathetics in CN9?
inferior salivatory nucleus in the rostral medulla –> otic ganglion –> parotid gland
A lesion of CN9 may result in what?
reduction in parotid secretions
What nucleus contains parasympathetics that exit with CNX?
dorsal motor nucleus lateral to hypoglossal nucleus in the floor of 4th ventricle –> terminal ganglia in thoracic/abdominal viscera –> slow heart rate, constrict bronchial smooth muscle, promote peristalsis
Where is the motor nucleus of V located?
rostral pons –> muscles of mastication and mylohyoid, anterior belly of digastric, tensor tympani, tensor veli palatini
Unilateral lesion of the motor fibers of CN V may cause what?
devision of jaw upon protrusion toward side of lesion
The facial motor nucleus is where?
caudal pons –> axons form the facial colliculus in the floor of 4th ventricle by wrapping around abducens nucleus –> stapedius, stylohyoid, posterior belly of digastric
With what nerve do facial motor axons run laterally to the genu?
sensory and parasympathetic fibers of hte nervus intermedius of the facial nerve
Lesions of the skeletal motor axons in the facial nerve may result in?
complete paralysis of muscles of facial expression ipislateral to lesion and hyperacusis due to weakness of stapedius (also weakness in forehead wrinkling, eye shutitng, nostril flaring on the side of lesion)
Which nucleus contains LMN of CN 9 and 10?
nucelus ambiguus (some of these neurons contribute to parasympathetic innervation of heart)
A lesion of motor axons from CN 10 from nucleus ambiguus may cause?
ipsilateral weakness of soft palate, nasal regurgitation of liquid, deviation of uvula away from side of lesion, weakness of pharygneal muscles/dysphagia, weakness of laryngeal muscles/hoarsness
Where does the accessory nerve arise?
accessory nucleus between C1 and C5 –> pass through foramen magnum –> exit jugular foramen –> SCM and trapezius
Where are parasympathetic neurons of 10 located?
nucleus ambiguus and dorsal motor nucleus
Which axons loop around the abducens nucleus?
Facial nerve axons
Parasympathetics and special pharyngeal arch axons are exiting from a _____ nerve from a _____ position on the brainstem.
mixed, ventrolateral
What nucleus conducts visceral sensory fibers for taste and pressure?
Solitary nucleus –>medulla (taste= 5,9,10 superior to carotid sinus,body = 9,19)
A bilateral lesion of the solitary nuclei may cause ________.
respiratory failure (possibly preceded by ataxic respiration)
The gag reflex utilizes visceral sensory fibers in CN ____ and skeletal motor fibers in CN ____.
9 and 10
The cough reflex utilizes both sensory and motor fibers in CN___.
10
What do cochlear (CN8) nerve fibers do upon entereing the brainstem at the pontomedullary junction?
birfucates and gives rise to processes that synapse in both ventral and dorsal cochlear nuclei
Which ganglion contains the cell bodies of the cochlear nerve fibers?
spiral ganglion in cochlea
The ventral cochlear nuclei project bilaterally to neurons in the _______.
superior olivary nuclei in the pons
The first auditory nuclei to receive binaural inputs are?
the superior olivary nuclei
From which sources does the lateral lemniscus convey auditory input from?
cochlear nuclei and superior olivary nuclei to the inferior colliculus in the midbrain
In patients with an ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss, the lesion is most likely at _____ but not at _____.
inner ear, CN8, cochlear nuclei but not at higher levels of central auditory system that receive input from both ears
A lesion to CNS auditory structures in the brain stem above the cochlear nuclei, in the thalamus, or in the cortex may result in…?
slight bilateral hearing loss and decreased ability to localize a sound source
The vestibular nerve innervates…?
hair cells in the three semicircular ducts and hair cells in the utricular and saccular maculae
The utricle and saccule contain hair cells that respond to…?
linear acceleration
The semicircular ducts contain hair cells that respond to…?
angular acceleration
Where do central processes of vestibular nerve fibers that enter the brain stem terminate?
vestibular nuclei and flocculonodular lobe of cerebellum
4 vestibular nuclei
superior, lateral ,medial, inferior
Patients with a vestibular lesion may have?
vertigo –> severe in peripheral lesions and mild in central lesions
Patients with Meniere’s may have…?
abrupt, recurrent vertigo + tinnitus + ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss + nausea/vomiting/ear pressure
Axons of vestibular nuclei join what tract?
medial longitudinal fasiculus
What does the MLF connect vestibular nuclei to?
centers for conjugate gaze and oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nuclei
Where do axons of CN 5 enter the brainstem?
rostral pons
Main, Chief, or Principal Nucleus
at entry of CN 5: touch
Mesencephalic Nucleus
CN 5: proprioception (superior)
Spinal nucleus
CN 5: pain and termperature (inferior)
3 components of spinal nucleus
- nucleus oralis - face touch
- nucleus interpolaris - tooth pulp pain
- nucleus caudalis - face pain and temperature
What is the only example of neural crest cells that have migrated into the brainstem?
the neurons in the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus
Facial touch pathway
trigeminal ganglion –> ipsilateral principal nucleus of trigeminal complex –> cross over and ascend in medial lemniscus to VPM –> cortex
Forehead face pain and temperature axons enter the pontomedullary junction and ascend/descend to the top/bottom of the nucleus caudalis before crossing over and ascending to the cortex.
descend to the bottom
Facial pain and temperature pathway
Trigeminal ganglion –> descend in spinal trigeminal tract –> nucleus caudalis –> cross over –> ascend in trigeminothalamic tract to VPM –> cortex
A patient with a lesion of the lower pons may present with?
only loss of pain and temperature in face
Which cerebellar peduncle carries ascending information?
inferior: spinocerebellar pathways (limb position sense) + inferior olivary nucleus (cerebellar input)
Which cerebellar peduncle carries information from the cortex into the cerebellum?
middle
Which cerebellar peduncle carries information from cerebellum to UMN?
superior
With regards to vascular insults, ____ CN will be affected in medial tract syndromes.
Motor
With regards to vascular insults, ____ CN will be affected in lateral tract syndromes.
Mixed
Which artery supplies the posterolateral medulla?
PICA from vertebral
Which artery supplies the medial aspect of the medulla?
Vertebral artery
Which artery supplies the anteromedial aspect of the medulla?
Anterior spinal artery
Which artery supplies the posterior of the midbrain?
Quadrigeminal artery
Which artery supplies the lateral aspect of the midbrain?
Anterior choroidal artery
Which artery supplies the anterior aspect of the midbrain?
Thalamoperforating branches of PCA
Which artery supplies the posterior aspect of the pons?
Superior cerebellar artery
Which artery supplies the posterolateral aspect of the pons?
AICA from basilar
Which artery supplies the ventrolateral aspect of the pons?
Short circumferential branches of the basilar
Which artery supplies the anterior aspect of the pons?
paramedian branches of the basilar artery
Most of the diencephalon is composed of?
thalamus + hypothalamus
The thalamus is bounded laterally by the ____ and medially by the _____.
internal capsule and third ventricle
All connections between cortex and thalamus travel in what structure?
internal capsule
5 anatomic thalamic nuclei:
Medial Lateral Internal Intralaminar Reticularis
Input-output thalamic nuclei:
Relay (sensory, motor, limbic); Association (pulvinar, mediodorsal); Non-specific (intralaminar)
Sensory Relay nuclei
auditory –> medial geniculate –> auditory cortex; visual –> lateral geniculate –>visual cortex; somatosensory –>ventrobasal –> somatosensory cortex
Motor Relay nuclei
basal ganglia and cerebellum –> ventral anterior and ventral lateral –> motor
Limbic Relay nuclei
mammillary bodies –> anterior nucleus –> cingulate gyrus (Papez circuit)
Pulvinar Association nuclei
parietal-occipital-temporal association cortex
Mediodorsal Association nuclei
prefrontal cortex
Intralaminar Non-specific nuclei
non-specific projections to widespread area of cortex; receives input from basal ganglia
Basal ganglia
participate in parallel anatomical circuits through thalamus and cortex –> each loop with different motor, cognitive, or affective function
Reticular nucleus
has no projects outside thalamus
Sensory and motor areas of the cerebral cortex receive inputs from what thalamic nuclei?
Relay
Prefrontal and parietal-occipital-temporal cortex receive input from what nuclei?
Association
Which thalamic nucleus projects to the basal ganglia?
intralaminar nucleus
What kind of cell constitute 80% of all neurons in thalamic nuclei?
glutaminergic excitatory projection neurons also called thalamocortical cells
The neurons of the ______ form a thin layer of exclusively _____ inhibitory cells, surrounding the thalamus in its lateral and dorsal aspects and projects to _____.
nucleus reticularis, GABAergic inhibitory cells, projects to other thalamic nuclei
T/F only axons from the cortex leave collaterals for the reticular nucleus.
F. axons from the cortex and the thalamus do this
T/F thalamocortical cells maintain connections to one another.
F
How many layers does the neocortex have?
6 (layer 4 = granular)
Agranular cortex lacks what kind of cells?
stellate/granule cells
Which area of neocortex contains large pyramidal cells?
mainly layer 5
What kind of cortex constitute primary sensory areas?
granular cortex = mainly small cells with few large pyramidal cells/few long axons
The study and definition of cortical areas in terms of parameters reveealed by stains of RNA of cell bodies is called_____.
Cytoarchitecture (e.g. Broadmann)
The columnar organization probably reflects a general strategy used in the construction of neocortex and suggests that the cortex works as what kind of device?
massive parallel processing –> applying similar operations locally to many aspects of the same information
2 types of excitatory cells in the cortex that use glutamate as a neurotransmitter
granular/spiny stellate and pyramidal cells
Pyramidal cells
80% of neurons in neocortex; excitatory; project to cortex via apical dendrite; system of basal dendrites branch near hte soma in the same layer; giants = betz cells
Granular cells
layer 4; receive thalamic input and output to neocortex layers 2 and 3 –> prominent in sensory areas
T/F inhibitory neurons have spines.
F
Circuit in thalamus
TC –> cortex –> TC with collaterals of each nerve to nucleus reticularis
Circuit in neocortex
thalamus –> layer 4/granular excitatory –> layer 2/3/supragranular excitatory–> layer 5/6/infragranular –> out of cortex
*all excitatory inputs also activate local interneurons (gabaergic inhibitory) which inhibit each cell in the pathway and also self-regulate
Supragranular neocortex 2/3 project to ____.
other cortical areas
Infragranular neocortex 5/6 project to ____.
out of cortex to brainstem, psinal cord, thalamus, superior colliculus
T/F All relay operations are under heavy control of cortical feedback.
T
2 Functions of thalamus
relay function (specific information transfer to cortex) and gate function (control of the functional state of the forebrain)
Transition between waking and sleep states is modulated by changes in ______.
neuromodulation
2 Functions of cortex
- generate sensory/motor representations of external and internal worlds using a combination of sensory driven activity, internally generated activity, and memory storage
- generate consciousness//only a small portion of the activity in corticothalamic networks is accessible to consciousness
T/F The generation of representations and consciousness depends on recurrent loops between cortex and thalamus.
T
The _____ is the most useful lab test to help establish the diagnosis of epilepsy and assist in the accurate classification of seizures and specific epileptic syndromes.
EEG
The EEG reflects intra/extracellular currents from the summated excitatory and/or inhibitory synaptic potentials of large numbers of cortical neurons.
extracellular; excitatory and inhibitory
Low amplitude and high frequency EEG = awake/asleep
awake
During waking _____ single thalamic spikes represent the inputs from sensory stimuli. Upon sleep these spikes become _____.
irregular; regular and rhythmic
The single most important factor responsible for the change in brain activity in the transition from waking to sleep is _____.
the change in thalamic firing mode –> transition from single spike tonic firing in waking to bursting firing mode –> due to hyperpolarization of cells
Bursting in thalamic cells is due to _________ current called ___ that generates an all or none triangular shaped potential with a low threshold called the _____.
low threshold calcium current; called It/ T type calcium channel; with a potential called the low threshold spike (LTS)
Which thalamic current is blocked by TTX? Cobalt?
TTx = sodium; Cobalt = calcium
T/F Hyperpolarization during sleep brings about the bursting behavior because it allows T channels to be open, resulting in rhythmic thalamic cells that engage the cortex in a rhythmic fashion as well.
T
Why is bursting an unreliable response and incompatible with coding of information?
- it has an all or none intrinsic response that doesn’t relay information about stimuli; 2. rhythmic firing results in a refractory period
Single spike mode shows a ____ and reliable relationship with stimulus intensity while bursting shows a ____ function.
linear vs. step
The combination of what three features blocks sensory input form the periphery to the cerebral cortex during sleep.
unreliable responses, generation of rhythmic bursting, and large scale synchrony
Why do thalamic neurons become hyperpolarized during sleep?
loss of neuromodulatory systems allows Vm closer to the resting K potential.
involuntary coordinated patterns of muscle contraction and relaxation elicited by peripheral stimulation that is stereotyped and modulated by descending inputs.
reflex movements
chewing, swallowing, scratching, locomotion, involving central pattern generating (CPG) circuits in spinal cord and brainstem are:
rhythmic movement
goal directed, purposeful movements that are generated internally, improve with practice, correct for external perturbations, and involved feedback and feedforward control are:
voluntary movements
anticipatory control (for example, for balancing when moving limbs) is called:
feedforward
error signals that lead to compensatory change are called:
feedback
3 key principles of feed-forward systems
- essential for rapid action, 2. depends on ability to make prediction, 3. can modify the operation of feedback mechanisms
T/F feedback can override reflexes in voluntary movement.
T
The motor areas of the cerebral cortex influence the spinal cord either directily or through the _____ of the brain stem.
descending systems
All 3 levels of motor control receive sensory inputs and are under the control of two independent subcortical systems which are:
- basal ganglia, and 2. cerebellum
The basal ganglia and cerebellum act on cerebral cortex via ___ and ____.
VA and VL
Processing of sensory inputs and motor commands is distributed in _______ interconnected areas.
hierarchically
motor nuclei in the spinal cord and brainstem are called
lower motor neurons
motor control centers in the brainstem are called
medial and lateral systems
upper motor neurons are located in _____.
cerebral cortex
motor commands and feedback sensory information related to movement is processed in what relationship in various systems.
parallel
medial-lateral arrangement of motor nuclei follow what rule
proximal-distal
propriospinal neurons are _____ between lateral motor nuclei and _____ for medial nuclei
short and long