Lecture 2

Question 1

What are the three layers protecting the spinal cord

Answer 1

Pia Mata, Arachnoid Mater, Dura Mater

Question 2

How many cervical nerves are there and where does cervical enlargement occur

Answer 2

8, 5-6

Question 3

How many thoracic nerves are there

Answer 3

12

Question 4

How many Lumbar nerves are there

Answer 4

5

Question 5

how many sacral nerves are there

Answer 5

5

Question 6

what is the last nerve

Answer 6

coccygneal nerve

Question 7

what are the different sections of nerves in the spinal cord

Answer 7

cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral

Question 8

What type of rootlets form the dorsal root

Answer 8

afferent nerve fibres, sensory information from peripheral to CNS

Question 9

What type of rootlets form the ventral root

Answer 9

efferent nerve fibres, stimuli from CNS to target structure

Question 10

what do the ventral and dorsal root form

Answer 10

spinal nerve

Question 11

what is interesting about the cervical nerves

Answer 11

there are a total of 8 pairs of cervical spinal nerves while there are only 7 cervical vertebrae

Question 12

what is interesting about the sacrum

Answer 12

its individual vertebrae are fused together, thus there are no intervertebral foramina

Question 13

What happens at L1/L2

Answer 13

Spinal cord forms the conus medullaris and spinal nerves exit the spinal cord

Question 14

What is a corpuscle that detects touch

Answer 14

meissners corpuscle

Question 15

What is a corpuscle that detects pressure

Answer 15

pascinians corpuscle

Question 16

Describe the pseudo-unipolar neurons

Answer 16

It enters the dorsal root of the spina cord and has it’s cell body in the dorsal root ganglia. The other end enters the white and grey matter.
These neurons are myelinated because they are constantly firing at a rate of 50m/s

Question 17

Describe free nerve endings

Answer 17

Also enters the dorsal root of the spinal cord and has its cell body in the dorsal root ganglia. Enters the grey matter. Indicates pain/danger
These neurons are not constantly firing so not myelinated at speed of firing is 1m/s

Question 18

what is a dermatome

Answer 18

A dermatome is an area of skin in which sensory nerves derive from a single spinal nerve root

Question 19

what is a vertebrae

Answer 19

bones of the spine

Question 20

how is the vertebral canal formed

Answer 20

by the vertebral foramina stacked onto each other

Question 21

what is the vertebral foramen

Answer 21

openings in the vertebrae where the spinal cord passes through

Question 23

what tissue forms the dura mater

Answer 23

dense irregular connective tissue

Question 24

what tissue forms the arachnoid mater

Answer 24

cells and thin, loosely arranged collagen and elastic fibers

Question 25

what tissue forms the pia mater

Answer 25

thin squamous to cuboidal cells within interlacing bundles of collagen fibers and some fine elastic fibers

Question 26

What is the space between the the dura mater and the spinal canal wall

Answer 26

epidural space

Question 27

What is the space between the the dura mater and the arachnoid mater

Answer 27

subdural space

Question 28

What is the space between the the pia mater and the arachnoid mater and what does it contain

Answer 28

sub arachnoid space, ceresbrospinal fluid

Question 29

What are the two enlargements in the spinal cord

Answer 29

The cervical (C4-T1, upper limbs) and lumbar (T9-T12, lower limbs)

Question 30

what is the filum terminale

Answer 30

an extension of the pia mater which anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx

Question 31

What is the cauda equina

Answer 31

regions of the lumbar, sacral and coccygneal nerves which angle inferiorly alongside the filum terminale