Session 5 Flashcards
(35 cards)
What are the 5 components of the reflex arc?
1) Receptor
2) Afferent fibre
3) Integration centre
4) Efferent fibre
5) Effector e.g. muscle
What are the two categories of lower motor neurones of the spinal cord?
- Alpha motor neurones: trigger the generation of force by extrafusal muscle fibres.
- Gamma motor neurones: provide motor innervation to intrafusal fibres within the fibrous muscle capsule. They work to keep the muscle spindles taut.
What are the two types of tetanic contractions?
1) Unfused tetanus - muscle fibres don’t completely relax before the next stimulus. Only partial relaxation between twitches.
2) Fused tetanus - high rate of stimulation where the muscle fibres do not relax between stimuli.
How does motor unit recruitment vary between muscles?
The number of fibres per unit is directly related to the precision control that we have over that particular muscle. E.g. many more motor axons in the exterior rectus of the eye compared to the gastrocnemius.
What are the three types of motor units?
S: slow contracting, very resistant to fatigue, very small force. Typically in the antigravity muscles of the legs and torso.
FR: fatigue resistant, faster contracting, low force.
FF: fast fatiguable, fast contracting, anaerobic respiration, high force. Typical of muscles involved in escape reflexes.
What are muscle spindles?
Consists of connective tissue capsules in which there are intrafusal fibres. Innervated by gamma motor neurones and they detect changes in the length of the muscle.
What are golgi tendon organs?
Receptors at the junction of muscles and tendons. A large myelinated fibre subdivides, which then intermingles and encircles the collagenous fibres.
What activates golgi tendon organs?
Active contraction of the muscle or stretching of the muscle.
What are Ib axons?
They intertwine among the coils of collagen fibres. When the muscle contracts, the tension of the collagen fibres increases, squeezing the Ib axons. They enter the spinal cord and synapse on interneurones in the ventral horn. They regulate muscle tension. As muscle tension increases, the Ib interneurones inhibit alpha motor neurones to slow muscle contraction.
Give three examples of proprioceptors.
Muscle spindles
Tendon organs
Joint receptors
Skin
What is the myotatic reflex?
Stretch reflex. As the muscle is stretched, action potentials are produced by the muscle spindle, these synapse with alpha-motor neurones in the spinal cord to innervate extrafusal muscle fibres. This results in contraction of the muscle.
What is the flexion reflex?
Withdrawal reflex. Mediated by pain receptors. The free nerve endings are stimulated, and the resulting impulses are conducted through myelinated afferent fibres and unmyelinated afferent fibres. These synapse with alpha-motor neurones in the spinal cord, resulting in contraction of the ipsilateral flexor muscles. The limb in withdrawn in response to noxious stimuli.
What is the difference between a negative neurological sign and a positive neurological sign?
Positive = emergence of a feature Negative = Loss of function or capacity.
Give three lower motor neurone signs.
Muscle wasting Muscle weakness Atonia Areflexia Fasciculations
What are the two types of descending tracts?
Pyramidal and Extrapyramidal tracts.
What are upper motor neurones?
Have their cell bodies in the brain and synapse within the CNS. Pyramidal motor neurones have their cell bodies in the cerebral cortex, Extrapyramidal motor neurones have their cell bodies in the sub-cortical brain areas .
What is the role of upper motor neurones?
Provide descending inhibition to the lower motor neurones and run from the higher regions of the brain to the spinal cord.
Give four upper motor neurone signs.
Hypereflexia Hypertonia Spastic paralysis Babinski sign Myoclonus Choreas Bradykinesia
What is an autonomous bladder?
Caused by LMN lesions, with damage above S2-4. Loss of parasympathetic and afferent neurones. Overflow incontinence and no ability to micturate.
What is an automatic reflex bladder?
Damage above the sacral region can cause damage to the UMN and result in automatic reflex bladder. Loss of descending inhibitory control, hence leakage of urine and urge urinary incontinence.
Name the pyramidal tracts.
Corticospinal (lateral and ventral) and Corticobulbar.
Name the extrapyramidal tracts.
Vestibulospinal Tectospinal Reticulospinal Rubrospinal Olivospinal
What are the roles of the corticospinal tracts?
Control of voluntary, discrete, skilled movements, especially those of the distal part of the limbs.
Where do corticospinal tract neurones arise from?
Motor cortex, premotor cortex and supplementary motor area and somatosensory cortex.