Ascending Spinal Tracts
What type of information/stimuli do ascending tracts carry?
sensory information (from periphery to brain)
There is a small hole in the center of a cross section of the spinal cord. What is the name of this? What does it hold?
Central Canal; CSF
What is a type of cell that is unique to the corticospinal tract?
Betz cells
What is the name of the single, midline artery lying in the anterior median fissure?
anterior spinal artery
anterior spinal cord syndrome
What is the function of the lateral spinothalamic tract?
pain and temperature stimuli (from dorsal root ganglia to the thalamus)
What two structures come together to form the spinal nerve?
dorsal root and ventral root
What does the corticospinal tract control?
voluntary movement
What spinal artery travels the length of the spinal cord just behind dorsal nerve roots?
posterior spinal arteries
This happens due to spinal damage caused by a trauma (stab, gunshot wounds, falls, MVA, blunt force trauma).
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
What is the function of the ventral (anterior) spinothalamic tract?
pressure and crude touch sensations (dorsal root ganglia to thalamus)
What forms the center of the cross section of the spinal cord, the "H"/Butterfly?
(Gray/White Matter)
Gray
Pyramidal tracts are efferent nerve fibers that start in the _______ ________ and carry motor fibers to the _____ ______ and _______ ________.
Pyramidal tracts are efferent nerve fibers that start in the CEREBRAL CORTEX and carry motor fibers to the SPINAL CORD and BRAIN STEM.
These arteries branch off of segmental arteries and follow nerve roots.
This is caused by a lesion of the posterior part of the spinal cord that interrupts blood flow.
posterior spinal cord syndrome
What is the function of the spinocerebellar tract (anterior and posterior)?
conducts unconscious sensation of proprioception in joints and muscles (muscles and joints to dorsal root ganglion)
White matter of the spinal cord is divided into 3 bundles of columns. What function is the LATERAL column responsible for?
autonomic functions (only found in thoracic spinal cord)
The corticobulbar tract stays in one area of the cranium. Name this area.
lateral part of the primary motor cotex
What is the division of blood supply to the spinal cord?
anterior 2/3
posterior 1/3
A patient presents with loss of voluntary muscle movement on the same side as a traumatic spinal cord injury. This is corresponding to a loss of pain and termperature sensation on the opposite side of the spinal cord injury below the location of injury. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
The dorsal column is the area of 3 different types of sensory stimuli, what are they?
vibration, proprioception, two point discrimination
At various levels of the spinal cord there are various ratios of gray to white matter. At what part of the spinal cord is there less gray matter and more white matter?
What is this due to?
upper part of the spinal cord
due to addition of more tracks as you ascend the cord
What is the difference between the pyramidal and extrapyramidal descending tracts?
Pyramidal: voluntary, conscious, skilled movement; originates in the cerebral cortex
Extrapyramidal: involuntary reflexes, muscle tone, posture, balance; originates in brain stem
Anterior and posterior spinal arteries ___________ and form an anastomotic network with radicular arteries.
narrow
A patient presents with a loss of proprioception and vibration sensation with a corresponding loss of two point discrimination and light touch. What is a possible diagnosis for this patient?
Posterior Spinal Cord Syndrome