Nervous Integration Flashcards

1
Q

How many spinal nerves are there and what is their distribution?

A

31 pairs of spinal nerves

  • 8 cervical
  • 12 thoracic
  • 5 lumbar
  • 5 sacral
  • 1 coccygeal
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2
Q

How are the spinal nerves named?

A

Cervical nerves named for the vertebra below them

  • except for cervical nerve 8 b/c theres only 7 cervical vertebrae
  • Cervical nerve 8 exits below C7 and above T1
  • Cervical nerve 1 below occiput and abov 1st cervical vertebra

Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, and coccygeal nerves are named for the vertebra above them

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3
Q

What composes a typical spinal nerve?

A

A mixed nerve with efferent and afferent neurons

Contains Connective tissues

  • endoneurium
  • perineurium
  • epineurium
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4
Q

What purpose does insulation serve in a typical spinal nerve?

A

allows you to disrciminate between sensory input

  • one axon per region
  • impulse on axon doesn’t stimulate other axons because of insultation
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5
Q

What are dermatomes? What are the dermatomes in the picture?

A

Every piece of skin has adesignated spinal nerve that innervates it

-except face

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6
Q

What are the cranial nerves and hw many of them are there?

A

12 pairs of cranial nerves

Motor components

-arise from brainstem gray matter

Sensory components

-arise from ganglia outside brain

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7
Q

What is the cranial nerve mnemonic?

A
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8
Q

What is the cranial nerve function mnemonic?

A
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9
Q

Draw the weird cranial nerve picture

A
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10
Q

What are the essential functions of the nervous system?

A
  1. Sense changes in the internal and external environments
  2. Integrate and interpret incoming sensory information
  3. Respond, if necessary to environmental changes
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11
Q

What is a sensation?

A

stimulus sensed and sent to CNS

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12
Q

How is a sensation different from perception?

A

a perception is a sensation that is also routed to cerebral cortex and you are aware of it

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13
Q

What are the levels sensation?

A
  1. spinal (reflex only)
  2. brainstem (reflex only)
  3. thalamus (crude perception)
  4. cerebral cortex (precise perception)
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14
Q

What is sensory modality?

A

Specific types of receptor based on sense

-eg can’t feel cold with heat receptors

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15
Q

What are the components of sensation?

A
  1. Stimulation - stimulus + Receptor
  2. Transduction - receptor tranduces stimulus to sensory neuron
  3. Conduction - conduction of nerve impulse
  4. Translation - synapse in CNS not necessarily consciousness
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16
Q

What are generator potentials?

A
  • stimulation of receptor directly causes depolarization of sensory neuron
  • action potential is initiated if the stimulus is a threshold stimulus
  • all receptors do this except those for the special senses
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17
Q

What is a Receptor potential?

A
  • receptor cell releases neurotransmitter onto first neuron in pathway
  • neurotransmitter will produce depolarization or hyperpolarization of a bipolar neuron
    • bipolar neuron is the 1st neuron on pathway to CNS
    • can inhibit/excite the 1st neuron
  • used by the receptors for the special senses
18
Q

What is the receptor difference between generator and receptor potentials?

A

Generator potential

-receptor is dendritic end of sensory neuron

Receptor potential

-receptor is separate cell

19
Q

How does amplitude of potentials vary?

A

Amplitude of both types of potentials vary with stimulus intensity

  • high amplitude = high frequency of firing in pathway
  • low amplitude = low frequency of firing in pathway

more ap/sec that reach CNS are interpreted as more intense

-too strong = pain stimulus

20
Q

What are the types of recetors based on the location in the body and based on the type of stimulus it detects?

A

Based on Location in the Body

  1. interoceptors (visceroceptors)
  2. exteroceptors
  3. proprioceptors

Based on Type of Stimulus Detected

  1. mechanoreceptors
  2. thermoreceptors
  3. chemoreceptors
  4. photoreceptors
  5. nociceptors
21
Q

What are the different types of adapting receptors?

A

Fast-adapting (phasic) receptors

  • Adapt very quickly
  • Specialized for signaling changes in a particular stimulus
  • Pressure, touch, hot, smell

Slow-adapting (tonic) receptors

  • Adapt slowly, continuing to initiate impulses as long as stimulus persists
  • Pain, body position, cold, chemical composition of blood
22
Q

What is an afterimage?

A

after removal of stimulus the receptors are still sending info down signal pathway

23
Q

What is projection?

A

each receptor has corresponding neuron in cerebral cortex

24
Q

Where does adaptation occur?

A

Most at receptor level but further adaptation ocurs during central processing

25
Q

What are cutaneous sensations?

A
  • tactile, thermal and pain sensations
  • located in the edge of dermis/epidermis
  • higher distribution of receptors in areas where you need more sensation like fingertips
26
Q

What are the types of nociceptors?

A

Fast (first) pain = sharp, localized, stabbing felt at time of injury

Second (slow) pain = longer-lasting, dull, diffuse feeling

27
Q

What is the difference between somatic and visceral pain?

A

Somatic pain - muscle, skin, tendons, bone

Visceral pain - organs

28
Q

What chemicals are released at injury sites and what do they do?

A

Bradykinin, serotonin, protaglandins, histamine, K+ and ATP

-stimulate nociceptors and activate cascade of rxns related to healing

29
Q

What is referred pain?

A

Somatic and visceral pain share tracts so sometimes pain can be misinterpreted as coming from other regions

30
Q

What is the spinal gating of pain?

A

Stop perception of pain by releasing analgesics to inhibit the synapse at the spine

-sensation still ocurring but not travelling to cerebrum

31
Q

What are proprioceptive sensations?

A

Proprioceptors are located in the muscle, joint, tendons

  • know how the body is oriented in space
  • adapt slowly
32
Q

What three neurons are involved in somatosensory pathways?

A

From receptor to cerebrum

  1. First-order neuron = sensory neuron
    • dendrite attached to peripheral receptor
    • dendritic fiber passes through spinal or cranial nerve to synapse in CNS
  2. Second-order neuron = association neuron
    • cell body in CNS; receives synapses from 1st order neuron
    • axon always decussates as it ascends to thalamus where it synapses
  3. Third-order neuron = association neuron
    • cell body in thalamic gray matter; synapse w/ 2nd order neuron
    • axon passes thru cerebral white matter
    • synapses w/ somatosensory neuron = perception
33
Q

What are the different sensory pathways?

A

Dorsal Column Pathway

-Fine touch, kinesthesia, vibration, weight discrimination

Anterolateral Pathway

  1. Lateral spinothalamic tract - pain, heat
  2. Anterior spinothalamic tract - crude touch
34
Q

How does the sensory information ascend the dorsal column pathway?

A
  1. Ascend to nucleus gracilis and nucleus cuneatus in dorsal root ganglion
  2. Decussation in medulla
  3. Ascend through mdial lemniscus to thalamus
  4. Ascend to somatosensory cortex
35
Q

How does the sensory information ascend the anterolateral pathway?

A
  1. Decussates at gray commisure
  2. Ascend to thalamus
  3. Ascend to somatosensory cortex
36
Q

What are the general features of the somatosensory cortex?

A

Greatest concentration of receptors/cortical neurons are for feet, hands and lips

  • sensory homunculus
  • receptor to cortical neuron = 1:1
37
Q

What is the difference between reflexes and voluntary activity in regards to the motor cortex?

A

Reflex = don’t need cerebrum

Voluntary Activity = need motor cortex in cerebrum

38
Q

What are the general features of the motor cortex?

A

Motor units innervate multiple muscle cells

motor homunculus

motor neuron to motor unit ratio = 1:1

Upper motor neuron leaves cortex

Lower motor neuron leaves spinal cord

Pre motor cortex in front of precentral gyrus creates initial desire to move

39
Q

What are the direct motor pathways?

A

Lateral corticospinal tracts

  • 90% of UMNs decussate in medulla
  • descend contralateral
  • synapse on LMNs in spinal cord

Anterior corticospinal tracts

  • 10% of UMNs descend ipsilateral
  • decussate at gray commissure
  • synapse on LMNs in spinal cord

Corticobulbar tracts

-descend to brainstem

-synapse on LMNs for cranial nerves 3-7, 9-12

40
Q

Which motor pathways work together?

A

Lateral and anterior corticospinal tracts work together

Corticobulbar tracts are motor component of cranial nerves

41
Q

What is the indirect, extrapyramidal, motor pathway?

A

Don’t go thru pyramid of medulla

-separate pathways