week 1 Flashcards
CSF
Filtrate of blood, made in the choroid plexus of the ventricles.
About 500ml produced each day. About 140 ml circulates throughout the subarachnoid space.
Offers mechanical and immunological protection to the brain and spinal cord. Reabsorbed into the venous drainiage of the head via the arachnoid granulations
Batson Veins (batson venous plexus)
connect the deep pelvic veins and thoracic veins to the internal vertebral venous plexuses. They are contained in the extra-dural space and provide a route of metastases from the deep pelvic region to the vertebral column or brain.
Artery of Adamkiewicz
Supplies the lower third of the spinal cord. Typically comes off the left posterior intercostal artery.
Important clinically because if the aortas is clamped during an aneurysm the artery can collapse, so must be perfused once the clamp is removed to prevent neurological deficit.
Epidural
not trying to puncture the dura so use a blunt needle
Lumbar puncture.
Done to withdraw CSF, measure the CSF pressure and to administer anti-biotics or chemo. Done at the level of L3/L4, or L4/L5. The supracristal line passes through the level of L4 and can be used as a guide.
A-alpha fibres
proprioceptors of skeletal muscle.
Lots of myelin, very fast conduction velocities
A-beta fibres
mechanoreceptors of skin (tactile sensation). Medium amount of myelin, fast conduction
A-delta fibres
pain and temperature. Little myelin - slower conduction
C fibres
no myelin, conduct slowly
Dorsal column- medial lemniscal pathway (tactile touch)
Projects up via the dorsal forniculus to the brainstem. Reaches the dorsal column nuclei in the medulla and decussates, having curved towards the midline as part of the internal arcuate fibres. Ascend via the medial lemniscus to the thalamus
Spinothalamic
Fibres decussate at the level of the spine. Fibres are a-delta or C.
Ascend in the antero-lateral funiculus
Corticobulbar
axons project to the cranial nerve nuclei in the brainstem
Corticospinal
axons project to the motor nuclei in the spinal cord
Broca’s Area
Responsible for the motor aspect of speech. Located in frontal lobe
Wernicke’s area
auditory association cortex: sensory language area and lexical processing. Temporal lobe
Corpus striatum
caudate, putamen, globus pallidus
striatum
caudate and putamen
lentiform nuclei
putamen and glbus pallidus
corpus callosum
major connection between the two cerebral hemispheres
Pain
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
nociception
neural mechanism by which an individual detects the presence of a potentially tissue harming stimulus.
free-nerve endings
pain and temperature
merkel’s disc
touch - mechanical deflection
meissner’s corpuscle
touch - light touch