Nuclei/Tract Cross-Sections: Images from Semmelweis Flashcards

1
Q

Midbrain

1

What type of nucleus is this?

A
  1. Edinger-Westphal Nucleus - Accessory Oculomotor

General Visceromotor (parasympathetic, performs pupil constriction)

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2
Q

Midbrain

2

What neurotransmitter is produced here?

A
  1. Substantia Nigra

Dopamine

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3
Q

Midbrain

3

Which funiculus of the spinal cord contains this pathway?

A
  1. Rubrospinal Tract - see it coming from Red Nucleus and crossing

Runs through Lateral Funiculus (with the lateral corticospinal tract)

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4
Q

Midbrain

4

What sensation is it involved in?

What type of nucleus?

What is the morphology of this neuron (multipolar, unipolar etc?)

A
  1. Mesencephalic Trigeminal Nucleus

Proprioception of Head/Face

General Somatosensory

Pseudounipolar morphology

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5
Q

Midbrain

5

Where do the central branches go?

What is unique about this tract?

A
  1. Mesencephalic Trigeminal Tract

Central branches descend into pons, and the fibers synapse with the trigeminal motoneurons innervating the masticatory muscles

Forms the only monosynaptic reflex arc in the brainstem, creating the jaw jerk reflex when the jaw is extended

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6
Q

Midbrain

6

What cranial nerves are involved in this pathway?

Between what places does it travel?

A
  1. Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus (MLF)

Primarily involved in the directing eye movement via cranial nerves III, IV, VI, connecting them with the vestibular nucleus, also involving CN VIII for head movement information

Travels from the Interstitial Nucleus of Cajal to the cervical spinal cord

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7
Q

Midbrain

7

What type of information does it carry, and to where?

A
  1. Brachium of Inferior Collicle

Carries auditory information to the Medial Geniculate Body (MGB) of the thalamus

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8
Q

8

What type of information does it receive?

A
  1. Medial Geniculate Body (MGB) of (meta)thalamus

Not part of midbrain, but must have been drawn this way to show a connection between midbrain and thalamus

An intermediate connection in the auditory pathway, between inferior collicle and auditory cortex

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9
Q

Midbrain

9

What tract(s) originate here?

What tract(s) terminate here?

A
  1. Red Nucleus

Rubrospinal Tract (#3) originates from here and crosses in midbrain, then goes to affect lower motor neurons. Has limited function in humans, most of voluntary control is from corticospinal tract

Some branches called the rubro-olivary tract also go to the inferior olive (uncrossed pathway)

Dentatorubro tract terminates here; it comes from dentate nucleus of cerebellum

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10
Q

Midbrain

10

What type of information do these fibers carry?

Where do these fibers originate from?

Where do these fibers decussate?

Where do these fibers go?

A
  1. Medial Lemniscus

Carries epicritic information from the body

Contains the afferent fibers coming from gracile and cuneate nuclei (Dorsal Column)

Decussate in the medulla

Goes to Thalamus VPL, then to sensory cortex

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11
Q

Midbrain

11

Which part of the internal capsule does this pass through?

A
  1. Türck Tract (temporo-parieto-occipito-pontine)

Passes through posterior limb of internal capsule

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12
Q

Midbrain

12

Which part of the internal capsule does this travel through?

A
  1. Corticospinal Tract

Posterior Limb of internal capsule

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13
Q

Midbrain

13

Which limb of the internal capsule does this pass through?

A
  1. Arnold Tract (fronto-pontine)

Anterior limb of internal capsule

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14
Q

Midbrain

14

A
  1. Oculomotor Nerve (CN III)
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15
Q

Midbrain

15

A
  1. Tectospinal Tract (see the tract originating from tectum)
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16
Q

upper medula

1

what type of nucleus?

What nerve(s) have fibers with this nucleus in this section?

A

Solitary nucleus and Solitary tract

Special Viscerosensory Nucleus (taste)

Nerves IX and X have afferent fibers to the solitary nucleus here in the medulla

Nerve VII has a connection more superiorly!

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17
Q

upper medulla

2

what type of nucleus is it?

which cranial nerve(s) have fibers here?

A

2 dorsal vagal nucleus

aka medial ala cinera nucleus

General Visceromotor (parasympathetic)

Only Vagus

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18
Q

upper medulla

3

What type of nucleus is it?

A
  1. Hypoglossal nucleus

Somatomotor nucleus

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19
Q

upper medulla

4

A

4 medial longitudinal fasciculus

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20
Q

upper medulla

5

A

5 tectospinal tract

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21
Q

upper medulla

unlabelled black line between 5 and 6

What cranial nerve(s) have fibers here?

What type of nucleus?

A

unlabelled line btwn 5 and 6

lateral ala cinerea nucleus

Glossopharyngeus and Vagus have sensory fibers that go here

General Viscerosensory (GVS) - the only nucleus like this!

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22
Q

upper medulla

6

A

6 area postrema

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23
Q

upper medulla

7

which order neuron is this?

A

7 nucleus gracilis

second order neuron

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24
Q

upper medulla

8

A

8 nucleus cuneate

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25
Q

upper medulla

9

A

9 inferior vestibular nucleus

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26
Q

upper medulla

10

What type of nucleus is here?

What pathway does the tract take, and to where?

A

10 Tract and nucleus of spinal trigeminal

General Somatosensory for protopathic information about the head

Travels via the Trigeminal Lemniscus to the Thalamus VPM

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27
Q

upper medulla

11

is this path crossed?

A

11 Posterior spinocerebellar tract

uncrossed

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28
Q

upper medulla

12

A

12 olivocerebellar tract

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29
Q

upper medulla

13

what type of nucleus is this?

what cranial nerve(s) have fibers here?

A

13 Nucleus Ambiguus

Branchiomotor/SVM

cranial nerves IX, X, XI

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30
Q

upper medulla

14

With what type of fibers does the pathway originating from here end in the cerebellar cortex?

A

14 Inferior Olivary nucleus

Ends in Climbing Fibers (IO means inferior olive in image below)

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31
Q

upper medulla

15

A

15 olivocerebellar fibers

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32
Q

upper medulla

16

A

16 internal arcuate fibers as they approach the lemniscal decussation, after which they become the medial leminiscus

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33
Q

upper medulla

17

What type of fibers run through here?

With what type of neurons do they synapse when they terminate?

A

17 Pyramids

Corticospinal tract

Terminates with synapse to alpha motor neurons

34
Q

upper medulla

18

A

18 internal arcuate fibers

35
Q

upper medulla

19

A

19 hypoglossal nerve

36
Q

upper medulla

20

A

20 lemniscal decussation

and olivocerebellar decussation

37
Q

upper medulla

21

A

21 spinothalamic tract

38
Q

upper medulla

22

A

22 ventral spinocerebellar tract (gowers)

39
Q

upper medulla

23

where are these nerve(s) coming from?

A

23 glossopharyngeus and vagus nerve

coming from the nucleus ambiguus

40
Q

upper medulla

24

where are these nerve(s) coming from?

A

24 glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves

coming from lateral ala cinerea

41
Q

Caudal Medulla

1

What type of nucleus is this?

A
  1. Hypoglossal Nucleus

A Somatomotor nucleus (hypoglossal nerve)

42
Q

Caudal Medulla

2

What type of nucleus is this?

From what cranial nerves does it receive information?

To where does it send information?

A
  1. Solitary Nucleus

Special Viscerosensory Nucleus (taste)

Receives afferent fibers from CN VII, IX and X

Sends information to Thalamus VPM

43
Q

Caudal Medulla

3

Which neurons are these in sequence?

What neurons terminate here?

What neurons start here?

A
  1. Gracile Nucleus

Second order neurons.

Gracile Fasciculus terminates here,

Internal arcuate fibers start here, then cross and become medial lemniscus.

44
Q

Caudal Medulla

4

What type of information is carried here?

Where is it carried to?

A
  1. Cuneate Nucleus

Epicritic information from the cervical nerves (upper body)

Goes to Thalamus VPL via the medial lemniscus

45
Q

Caudal Medulla

5

A
  1. Spinal Trigeminal Tract
46
Q

Caudal Medulla

6

What is this type of nucleus?

What is the continuation of the nucleus when it goes inferiorly?

A
  1. Spinal Trigeminal Nucleus

General Somatosensory (GSS)

In the spinal cord, it becomes the Substantia Gelatinosa

(Rexed Lamina 2)

47
Q

Caudal Medulla

7

What order are these neurons?

A
  1. Internal Arcuate Fibers

2nd order neurons

48
Q

Caudal Medulla

8

Where does this pathway end?

What type of information does it carry?

Which neuron is it in sequence?

A
  1. Spinothalamic Tract

Ends at Thalamus VPL

Transmits protopathic sensation (pain, temperature, crude touch) for the body

2nd neuron in sequence

49
Q

Caudal Medulla

9

What nerves does it join with?

A
  1. Nucleus Ambiguus

IX, X, XI nerves

50
Q

Caudal Medulla

10

A
  1. Inferior Olivary Nucleus
51
Q

Caudal Medulla

11

A
  1. Pyramidal Decussation
52
Q

Caudal Medulla

12

A
  1. Decussation of Medial Lemniscus
53
Q

Pons

1

A
  1. Superior Cerebellar Peduncle
54
Q

2 & 11, what is this pathway?

Which peduncle does it travel through?

A

2 (and 11). Pontocerebellar Tract

Travels through middle cerebellar peduncle

55
Q

3 (medial to the structure in #5)

What type of nucleus is this?

A
  1. Motor Trigeminal Nucleus

Branchiomotor / Special Visceromotor

56
Q

4

Which information does this carry?

What type of fibers does this path end in?

Does it cross?

A
  1. Ventral Spinocerebellar Tract (Gowers)

Carries proprioceptive sensibility

Ends in mossy fibers

It crosses twice (once in the anterior commissure, once in the cerebellum) and so the cerebellum still receives information from the same side of body

57
Q

5

hard to see, but it’s the one that’s lateral to #3 and covered by a giant arrow on that side of the picture

What type of information is carried?

Where does this nucleus send its fibers, and via what pathway?

Crossed or uncrossed?

A
  1. Chief Sensory Trigeminal Nucleus (Pontine/Principal)

Sends epicritic information from the head to the Thalamus VPM

via the Dorsal Trigeminal Lemniscus

(don’t confuse with the just Trigeminal Lemniscus!)

Crossed pathway

58
Q

6

A
  1. Brachium Pontis
59
Q

7

A
  1. Trigeminal Nerve (see its connections with the trigeminal nuclei)
60
Q

8

A
  1. Medial Lemniscus
61
Q

9: Which two types of tracts are seen?

Which part of the pons contains these fibers?

A
  1. Corticospinal tracts & Corticopontine tracts

Corticospinal tracts keep going through pons,

Corticopontine tracts synapse here with the pontine nuclei

Within the basis of the pons

62
Q

10

A
  1. Pontine Nuclei, whose fibers go on to the pontocerebellar tract
63
Q

12

A
  1. Spinothalamic Tract
64
Q

13

Where do these fibers travel to?

A
  1. Lateral Lemniscus

Fibers go to Inferior Collicle

65
Q

14

What type of neurotransmitter is produced here?

A
  1. Locus Ceruleus

Norepinephrine produced here (involved in stress)

66
Q

15

what is the origin of these fibers?

where do these fibers end?

A
  1. Central Tegmental Fascicle / Tract

Comes from Red Nucleus

Goes to Inferior Olive

67
Q

16

A
  1. Tectospinal Tract
68
Q

17

A
  1. Medial Longitudinal Fascicle
69
Q

Spinal Cord

1

A
  1. Lissauer Tract
70
Q

2

A
  1. Posterior Spinocerebellar Tract
71
Q

3

What system is this a part of?

A
  1. Cruciate (posterior) Corticospinal Tract

Part of pyramidal system

72
Q

4

A
  1. Rubrospinal Tract
73
Q

5

A
  1. Anterior Spinocerebellar Tract
74
Q

6

A
  1. Spinothalamic Tract

(here shown as one, but normally there is an anterior and lateral branch of the spinothalamic tract within the spinal cord)

75
Q

7

A
  1. Vestibulospinal Tract
76
Q

8

A
  1. Tectospinal Tract
77
Q

9

A
  1. Direct (anterior) Corticospinal Tract
78
Q

10

A
  1. Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus
79
Q

11: numbered twice to show it curving around

A
  1. Reticulospinal tract
80
Q

12

A
  1. Olivospinal tract

(not even confirmed to exist in humans, thanks anatomy department)

81
Q

13: What 2 tracts run through here?

Where are the perikarya of these fibers?

What is this whole region of white matter called?

A
  1. Gracile and Cuneate Fasciculus

Perikarya in the Dorsal Root Ganglion

Called Dorsal Column