Clin Phys 6 Flashcards

1
Q

Nerves that “emerge from the brain” and exit via skull foramina

A

cranial nerves
- All other nerves exit the spinal cord and travel through the
intervertebral foramina

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2
Q

Cranial nerves carry a wide variety of information:

A

▪ Special sensory information
▪ Somatic motor information
▪ Somatic sensory information
▪ Motor and sensory information to/from structures that we cannot control or perceive

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3
Q

Olfactory (CN I) – projects to

A

cortex

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4
Q

Optic (CN II) projects to

A

thalamus

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5
Q

CN III and IV nuclei are found

A

nuclei are
found in the midbrain

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6
Q

CN V, VI, VII, and VIII nuclei are found

A

in the pons

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7
Q

CN IX, X, XI, XII

A

nuclei are (mostly) found in the medulla

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8
Q

Cranial Nerve I Function

A

sense of smell (special sense)

From the superior part of the nasal cavity → olfactory bulb → many different locations in the temporal and frontal lobes

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9
Q

CN I Skull entry/exit point:

A

Axons penetrate the skull via the
tiny holes in the cribriform plate (ethmoid)

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10
Q

How do we test CN I

A

▪ Ask the patient to identify a couple of distinctive smells
(eyes closed if necessary)
▪ i.e. coffee, peppermint
▪ Loss of sense of smell = anosmia
* Infections (COVID is famous for it), head injuries

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11
Q

CN II Function

A

vision (special sense)
From the retina (back of the eye) → thalamus → occipital
lobe (cortex)

There are other connections between the optic nerve and the
brain other than through the thalamus – mostly for mediating
reflex eye and head movements

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12
Q

CN II Exit Point

A

optic foramen (canal)

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13
Q

CN II Test

A

▪ The Snellen eye chart (central vision)
▪ Peripheral field tests (peripheral vision)
▪ Observation of the back of the eye (ophthalmoscope)
* Assesses the retina (the “light sensor”)
▪ Others – pupillary movements, rapid involuntary eye
movements

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14
Q

Cranial Nerve III, IV, VI function

A

Main Function: Eye movements (somatic motor)

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15
Q

CN III Location

A

from the midbrain → muscles around the eye

As well, CN III projects to your pupillary muscles (dilation,
constriction) and your levator palpebrae superioris
muscle (helps elevate your eyelid)

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16
Q

CN IV Location

A

from midbrain → one of the muscles around your eye
(superior oblique)

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17
Q

CN VI Location

A

from the pons → one of the muscles around your eye
(lateral rectus)

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18
Q

Cranial Nerve III, IV, VI Skull entry/exit point for all

A

superior orbital fissure

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19
Q

CN III function

A

most eye movements and control of pupils

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20
Q

CN IV function

A

directs your gaze down and outwards

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21
Q

CN VI function

A

– directs gaze laterally (abducts eyeball)

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22
Q

Cranial Nerves III, IV, VI: How do we test them?

A

You can see that these nerves innervate very small, quick, coordinated muscles that help us to control our eye movements

TEST
1. Ask patient to “follow your finger with their eyes”

  1. Move your finger so that you draw a big “H” in the air
    in front of them
    * Eyes should smoothly follow your finger
  2. Shine a light into the patient’s eyes and hold an object
    close to patient’s eyes
    * Pupils should constrict in response
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23
Q

Cranial Nerve V Functions (2)

A
  1. Sensation over the face, scalp, nasal cavity and cornea (somatic sensation)
    - Sensations include touch, pain, proprioception for facial
    muscles and tongue
    - Cornea = clear, tough outer part of the eye that overlies the
    iris
  2. Motor function (somatic motor) for the muscles of mastication (chewing) and some neck, middle ear muscles
    ▪ Main muscles – temporalis, masseters, pterygoids
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24
Q

Cranial Nerve V Sensation Exit:

A

Exits from the pons, leaves skull through:
* Superior orbital fissure: cornea, forehead, scalp, eyelids,
nasal mucosa (upper face, scalp)

  • Foramen rotundum: face over the maxillary part of the
    face, including maxillary teeth (mid-face)
  • Foramen ovale: lower jaw, proprioception for tongue
    (lower face, mouth – but NOT taste)
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25
Q

Cranial Nerve V Motor Exit:

A

▪ Main muscles – temporalis, masseters, pterygoids
▪ Exits through the foramen ovale

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26
Q

CN V TEST

A
  1. Sensory – sharp, dull, and light touch over the face
  2. Strength of jaw clenching and movements of the jaw
27
Q

Cranial Nerve VII Functions:

A
  1. Facial movements OTHER THAN the tongue, eye muscles, and
    muscles of mastication (somatic motor)
  2. Taste from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue (special sense →
    taste)
  3. Autonomic motor input to glands (“autonomic” motor)
    ▪ Salivary and tears
    ▪ Nasal glands (nasal secretions)
  4. Somatic sensation from the ear canal (somatic sensory)
28
Q

Cranial Nerve VII Exits

A

simplified: Exits/enters the pons → passes through the internal
acoustic meatus and facial canal, exits through the
stylomastoid foramen

29
Q

Cranial Nerve VIII Function

A

Hearing and balance (special senses)

From inner ear → internal acoustic meatus → pons

From pons it passes through the thalamus and synapses in the
temporal lobe for the perception of sound

30
Q

See page for How it works

A
31
Q

CN Nerve VIII Test

A

▪ Whisper to patient to test for auditory acuity

▪ Tuning forks – allow you to tell if there’s a problem with the nerve
or with the ear canal → ear drum → cochlea pathway

Tuning forks can be “heard” by conduction of the tuning fork
vibration through the bones of the skull

  • If you “hear” the tuning fork better when it’s sending vibrations
    through your skull (versus being held up to your ear) →
    ▪ have a problem with sound conduction through the ear
    canal, ear drum, or the tiny bones of your middle ear
32
Q

SLide 23

A
33
Q

Cranial Nerve IX

A
  1. Swallowing – (somatic motor)
  2. Sensation from the pharynx, part of the external ear
    (somatic sensory) and from chemoreceptors/baroreceptors
    in the carotid body (“autonomic sensory”)
  3. Taste from posterior 1/3 of tongue (special sensory)
  4. Innervation of a salivary gland – parotid (“autonomic
    motor”)
34
Q

Cranial Nerve IX Exit

A

Nerve enters/exits through the jugular foramen in the skull and
projects to/leaves the medulla

35
Q

CN IX - TEST

A

▪ Stimulate the posterior aspect of the pharynx (careful – this causes a
gag reflex)

▪ The soft palate and tongue elevate (CN X) when stimulation is
detected (CN IX)

▪ Not the most helpful test – many healthy people have a diminished
gag reflex

36
Q

Cranial Nerve X - Why is it considered “vagus”?

A

It projects to a wide variety of organs such as the lungs, heart,
liver, and gastrointestinal tract (among others)

  • vagus nerve (“vagus” means “wanderer”)
37
Q

Cranial Nerve X Functions

A

▪ Pharyngeal muscles –swallowing - and laryngeal muscles -
vocal cords (somatic motor)

▪ Parasympathetic nervous system input to the visceral organs
discussed above (“autonomic motor”)
* “Rest and digest” aspect of the autonomic nervous system

▪ Sensation from the visceral organs it impacts (“autonomic
sensory”) and some of the pharynx and external ear (“somatic sensory”)

▪ Sensory input from aortic baroreceptors and chemoreceptors
(“autonomic sensory”)

38
Q

Cranial Nerve X - TEST

A

▪ Usually by listening to the patient’s voice – if hoarse,
then it may be due to damage of the vagus motor input
to the vocal cords

▪ Ask the patient to say “ahhhh” → elevation of the palate
is part of the somatic function of the vagus nerve

▪ We don’t usually test the function of parasympathetic
nervous system at the vagus nerve level

39
Q

Cranial Nerve XI Function

A

– innervation of the sternocleidomastoid
and trapezius (somatic motor)

CN XI isn’t really a true cranial nerve – the neuronal cell
bodies are actually located in the cervical spinal cord

40
Q

Cranial Nerve XI travels into the skulls via …. and then back out again via ….

A
  • this nerve travels into the skull (foramen magnum)…
  • and then back out again (jugular foramen)
41
Q

Cranial Nerve XI TEST

A

▪ Turning the head against resistance
▪ Shrugging the shoulders

42
Q

Cranial Nerve XII Function

A

Function – innervation of the tongue (somatic motor)

▪ Key for speech and swallowing

43
Q

Cranial Nerve XII Exits

A

Exits the medulla and passes through the hypoglossal
canal

44
Q

Cranial Nerve XII TEST

A

▪ Ask the patient to stick out her tongue, and move it side
to side

  • If the tongue is deviated or the patient can’t follow these
    instructions, then damage could be at the level of the
    nerve, medulla, or motor cortex
45
Q

The special senses are all carried via the cranial nerves
– all will eventually project to the ____

A
46
Q

▪ Vision – _________ lobe
▪ Sound – _________lobe
▪ Taste and smell –_________ frontal lobes

A

▪ Vision – occipital lobe
▪ Sound – temporal lobe
▪ Taste and smell – inferior-lateral frontal lobes

47
Q

The other senses – pain, touch, vibration, proprioception, temperature – all project to the ______________ in the parietal lobe

A

postcentral gyrus in the parietal lobe

48
Q

▪ Touch, vibration, proprioception – ____________
lemniscal system
▪ Pain, temperature – _________ tract

A

– column-medial lemniscal system
– spinothalamic tract

49
Q

Dorsal column-medial lemniscal system

A

Neurons that receive sensory input (first order neurons) send their axons to the dorsal horn (gray matter of spinal cord) and then project into the dorsal columns
(white matter of spinal cord)

▪ These axons stay on the same side until they enter the
medulla
- After entering the medulla, they synapse on another
neuron →

The next neuron (second-order neuron) crosses to the
other side of the medulla, and then synapses with
another neuron in the thalamus (third order neuron) →

The third order neuron projects to the post-central gyrus

50
Q

Spinothalamic Tract

A

Neurons that receive sensory input (first order neurons)
send their axons to the dorsal horn (gray matter of
spinal cord) →
- and then synapse with another cell in the dorsal horn
(second-order neuron)

The axon of the second order neuron crosses over in the
gray matter, then sends its axon up to the brain in the
lateral and anterior white matter of the spinal cord →

▪ The second-order neuron synapses with another neuron
in the thalamus (third-order neuron) →

  • Third order neuron synapses with a neuron in the postcentral gyrus
51
Q

Each spinal nerve collects information from a part of
the body and sends it to the thalamus and to the __________

A

prefrontal gyrus

52
Q

Loss of sensation can be at the level of the spinal nerve, the
spinal cord, the thalamus (rare) or at the level of the cortex. How doe we test these?

A

We “map out” neurologic deficits in sensation by testing
“dermatomes”

53
Q

Specific dermatomes _____ (aren’t/are) always the same among
individuals

A

aren’t
some areas of the body will be supplied by one spinal nerve
in one person and a totally different spinal nerve in someone
else

54
Q

C2 and C3 area

A

C2 scalp
C3 front of neck

55
Q

C4, C5 area

A

shoulder

56
Q

C8, T1 area

A

little finger

57
Q

T4 area

A

nipple

58
Q

T10 area

A

Umbilicus

59
Q

L2 area

A

Thigh

60
Q

L4 area

A

malleoli, medial anterior lower leg

61
Q

L5 area

A

Malleoli, lateral anterior leg

62
Q

S1 area

A

Lateral posterior leg, lateral plantar foot

63
Q

S3, S4, S5 area

A

Perineal area