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Neuroanatomy - Spinal cord

17 important questions on Neuroanatomy - Spinal cord

What are commissural connections?

Left-right connections of the spinal cord

What is a motor pattern generator?

This is local motor control. The connections (commissural and propriospinal) and neurons together.

What does the brainstem control?

The control neurons, the motor pattern generator.
It does not control each segment separately but controls the motor pattern generator as a whole.

What does the cerebrum control?

It influences all lower control levels: brainstem, motor pattern generator and individual motor neurons

Where in the spinal cord is the most white matter?

In the upper part of the spinal cord, because all axons from the whole body have to cross this part to reach the brain (both ascending and descending)

Where in the spinal cord is the most grey matter?

At the level of the limbs, because there is more muscle and skin to innervate. The cervical intumescence (arms) and lumbosacral intumescence (staartbeen=coccyx).

What is filum terminale?

The last smallest part of the spinal cord (level L1-S5). The filum terminale is a strand of fibrous tissue and is surrounded by spinal roots (no spinal cord).

The function of the filum terminale is to anchor the lower part of the spinal cord to the lower canal. The spinal cord ends where the filum terminale begins.

Here, we can take a sample of CSF

What is the difference in length of the spinal cord between an embryo and adult?

In an embryo the spinal cord and spinal canal are the same length, but due to growing of the embryo the spinal cord becomes shorter than the spinal canal (same for the dural sac).

What is the difference between the grey and white matter (in spinal cord)?

The grey matter consists of neurons (soma etc), it operates the muscles. The white matter are the axons (surrounded by myelin sheet = white). The white matter contains ascending and descending axons.

What are the parts of the grey matter in the spinal cord?

Dorsal horn, intermediate grey and ventral horn

How does the information flow in the grey matter?

It enters in the dorsal horn, then it is passed on to the intermediate grey and then to the ventral horn. From the ventral horn the information is passed on to the muscles.

What are the areas in the white matter of spinal cord?

Dorsal fasicle, dorsolateral fascicle, ventrolateral fascicle and ventral fascicle.

Here you can see the layers of the grey matter. Tell something about the red part.

The red part is the lateral motor column and controls the distal limb muscles. This part is quite big because the movements of the fingers is much more complicated than movement of the shoulder (more neurons present). This part is only present where the limbs are.

Here you can see the layers of the grey matter. Tell something about the blue part.

The blue part is the medial motor column and is present at the entire length of the spinal cord. This parts controls the trunk muscles and proximal limb muscles.

Tell something about the blue and red parts of the white matter in the spinal cord

The blue part is the afferent pathway and the red part the efferent pathway.

What is the problem with the limb spinal nerves?

Muscles are often innervated by motor neurons from several levels of the vertebrae. So, each spinal cord level innervates several muscles. But a muscle can only be innervated by one nerve. So, the motor axons have to be combined into a muscle nerve bundle. This happens during development in the plexuses.

What is the difference between a spinal and peripheral nerve?

Spinal nerve = axons derived from one spinal cord segment
Peripheral nerve = combines axons derived from several spinal nerves

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Introduction into the neurosciences

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Neuroanatomy - Spinal cord

17 important questions on Neuroanatomy - Spinal cord

What are commissural connections?

What is a motor pattern generator?

What does the brainstem control?

What does the cerebrum control?

Where in the spinal cord is the most white matter?

Where in the spinal cord is the most grey matter?

What is filum terminale?

What is the difference in length of the spinal cord between an embryo and adult?

What is the difference between the grey and white matter (in spinal cord)?

What are the parts of the grey matter in the spinal cord?

How does the information flow in the grey matter?

What are the areas in the white matter of spinal cord?

Here you can see the layers of the grey matter. Tell something about the red part.

Here you can see the layers of the grey matter. Tell something about the blue part.

Tell something about the blue and red parts of the white matter in the spinal cord

What is the problem with the limb spinal nerves?

What is the difference between a spinal and peripheral nerve?

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