Spinal Cord Tracts Quiz

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Questions and Answers

Damage of the spinothalamic tracts causes loss of pain and temperature sensations on the ______ side

contralateral

Spinal shock is an immediate response to spinal cord injury characterized by temporary ______

areflexia

Spinal shock may begin within 1 hour after injury and may last from several minutes to several ______

months

Hemisection is a partial transection of the cord on either the right or the ______ side

<p>left</p> Signup and view all the answers

In many cases of traumatic injury of the spinal cord, the patient may have an improved outcome if an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid drug called methylprednisolone is given within 8 hours of the ______

<p>injury</p> Signup and view all the answers

Following complete transection, and to varying degrees after hemisection, spinal shock occurs. Spinal shock is an immediate response to spinal cord injury characterized by temporary ______

<p>areflexia</p> Signup and view all the answers

Signs of acute spinal shock include slow heart rate, low blood pressure, flaccid paralysis of skeletal muscles, loss of somatic sensations, and urinary bladder ______

<p>dysfunction</p> Signup and view all the answers

After hemisection, three main symptoms known as Masterfile L1–L2: most leg muscles, which allows ______ with short leg braces

<p>walking</p> Signup and view all the answers

T4–T9: control of trunk above the umbilicus. T10–L1: most thigh muscles, which allows walking with long leg braces. Hemisection is a partial transection of the cord on either the right or the ______ side

<p>left</p> Signup and view all the answers

Spinal shock may begin within 1 hour after injury and may last from several minutes to several ______

<p>months</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Sensory and motor tracts

The spinal cord has pathways for carrying sensory information towards the brain (sensory tracts) and carrying motor commands from the brain towards muscles (motor tracts).

Effects of spinal cord injuries

The amount of control a person has over their body decreases as the injury site moves closer to the head.

What are motor tracts?

They carry signals from the brain to different parts of the body for movement.

What are sensory tracts?

They carry signals from the body to the brain for sensation.

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Tracts in the spinal cord

They are the 'highways' for signals to travel between the brain and the rest of the body.

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Role of the spinal cord's gray matter

It is responsible for integrating information from different sources, effectively 'deciding' what actions to take.

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Naming of tracts

The name often gives clues about the pathway's location, starting point, and ending point.

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Brown-Séquard syndrome

This is a neurological condition where half of the spinal cord is damaged, leading to specific sensory and motor deficits.

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White matter of the spinal cord

It refers to the white matter of the spinal cord, which contains the tracts carrying information.

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Integration in the gray matter

It's a complex process where signals are combined to create a unified response.

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Study Notes

Spinal Cord Structure and Function

  • The spinal cord has sensory tracts on one half and motor tracts on the other half, but all tracts are present on both sides.
  • The precise location and size of the tracts change throughout different levels of the spinal cord.
  • The name of a tract often indicates its location in the white matter and where it begins and ends.

Functions of the Spinal Cord

  • The white matter of the spinal cord contains sensory and motor tracts, which are the "highways" for conduction of sensory nerve impulses toward the brain and motor nerve impulses from the brain toward effector tissues.
  • The spinal cord gray matter is a site for integration (summing) of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs).

Tracts in the Spinal Cord

  • Posterior column: Gracile fasciculus and Cuneate fasciculus
  • Lateral corticospinal tract, Posterior spinocerebellar tract, and Anterior spinocerebellar tract
  • Rubrospinal tract, Lateral reticulospinal tract, and Lateral spinothalamic tract
  • Spinal nerve, Vestibulospinal tract, Anterior spinothalamic tract, and Medial reticulospinal tract
  • Tectospinal tract and Anterior corticospinal tract
  • The spinothalamic tract originates in the spinal cord and ends in the thalamus, and it is a sensory tract.

Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries

  • The closer the injury is to the head, the greater the area of the body that may be affected.
  • Muscle functions retained at progressively lower levels of spinal cord transection:
    • C1-C3: no function maintained from the neck down; ventilator needed for breathing
    • C4-C5: diaphragm, which allows breathing
    • C6-C7: some arm and chest muscles, which allows feeding, some dressing, and manual wheelchair required
    • T1-L1: progressively more functions regained with lower levels of injury
  • Traumatic injuries to the spinal cord can result in a range of outcomes, from little or no long-term neurological deficits to severe deficits and even death.
  • Brown-Séquard syndrome occurs when damage to the posterior column and lateral corticospinal tract results in loss of proprioception and fine touch sensations on the ipsilateral side, and ipsilateral paralysis.

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