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19 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the 2 main sensory tracts in the spine |
Dorsal column medial lemniscus
Spinothalamic tract |
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What is the input of the spinothalamic tract |
crude touch, pain and temperature. From alpha delta fibres and C fibres
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What is the route of the spinothalamic tract |
Afferent axons enter cord via dorsal routes and synapse on projection neurones in the rami. The projection neurones cross over in the ventral spinal cord to the spinothalamic tract which is situated in the white matter of the spinal cord. This is where they ascend. |
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What is the role of the dorsal column |
Fine movement, proprioception and discriminative touch |
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What is the path of the dorsal column |
Neurones enter spinal cord through dorsal roots, enter dorsal columns and project to mid medulla. At respective gracilis and fasiculus nuclei the neurones synapse and cross over. They then ascend to the ventral posterolateral nucleus in the thalamus which projects to the somatosensory cortex. |
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What is the principle descending motor pathway in the spine |
Corticospinal tract
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What is the pathway of the corticospinal tract |
Runs from the primary motor cortex to the ventral cord white matter.
The corticospinal tract has 2 tracts for the axial and appendicular skeleton. The appendicular tract decussates in the medulla the axial skeleton does not decussate. |
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What type of reflex is the Babinski response |
A polysynaptic reflex |
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What is a normal Babinski sign? How is the test elliceted |
Noxious cutaneous stimulation of the sole of the foot leads to a flexion withdrawal reflex
Toes curl down and adduct together |
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What is a positive Babinski sign - what does it indicate |
Big toe dorsiflexes - other toes abduct (fan out) and dorsiflex.
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What does a positive Babinski sign indicate |
Loss of myelination of corticospinal tract resulting in poor motor control
Upper motoneuron damage |
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What are the symptoms of a lower motor neurone lesion |
Partial or complete flaccid paralysis - absent reflexes |
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What are the symptoms of an upper motor neurone lesion |
Hyper reactive reflexes and positive Babinski sign in the feet. Increased muscle tone. |
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What is the role of the sympathetic autonomic control in regulation of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and urinary continence |
Forms ganglia which supplies all major organs. Controls dilation of the pupil, increase in heart rate and force, bronchodilation, vasodilation to skeletal muscle and vasoconstriction to the gut, sweat secretion and erection. |
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How could a lesion to the spinal cord affect the sympathetic nervous system |
May affect the prevertebral chain |
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What is spinal shock, explain the physiology |
Initially after a spinal cord injury there may be weakness or loss of all reflexes below the site of shock. Neurones involved in reflex arcs receive a basal level of stimulation from the brain, after a shock these cells lose the input and cells become hyper polarised and less responsive to stimuli. |
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After 5 days following a spinal cord injury why do reflexes begin to return |
Polysynaptic reflexes will begin to return after a few days as the cells restore polarity following spinal shock. |
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What is the prognosis following a rostral spinal lesion |
Rostral spinal lesions are more severe than lateral so prognosis is not good. CNS does not have ability to regenerate |
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What is treatment of spinal cord lesion |
Steroids should be administered within 3hours of lesion alongside omega 3. |
