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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Epidural Space |
Is found between the bony vertebrae and the spinal dura mater, filled with a soft padding of fat and a network of veins. |
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Spinal Dura Mater |
The outer most protective layer of the meninges pertaining to the spinal cord. |
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Subarachnoid Space |
Space between the arachnoid and pia mater meninges filled with cerebrospinal fluid. |
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The spinal cord typically ends between... |
L1 and L2 |
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Conus Medullaris |
A tapering cone-shaped structure inferior to the spinal cord terminal. |
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Filum Terminale |
A fibrous extension of the conus covered by pia mater, extends inferiorly from the conus medullaris to the coccyx, where it anchors the spinal cord so it's not jostled by body movement. |
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Denticulate Ligaments |
Saw-toothed shelves of pia mater that secure the spinal cord to the tough dura mater meninx throughout its length. |
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Cervical Enlargement |
Enlargement where the nerves serving the upper limbs arise. |
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Lumbar Enlargement |
Enlargement where the nerves serving the lower limbs arise. |
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Cauda Equina |
Collection of nerve roots at the inferior end of the vertebral canal which resembles a horse's tail. |
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Ventral (Anterior) Median Fissure |
A wide groove which marks the frontal surface of the spinal cord throughout its length and partially divides it into right and left half. |
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Dorsal (Posterior) Median Sulcus |
A narrow groove which marks the surface of the spinal cord throughout its length and partially divides it into right and left half. |
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Central Canal |
At the core of the spinal cord, this cerebrospinal fluid filled tunnel, runs the length of the spinal cord. |
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Gray Commisure |
A crossbar of gray matter connecting the lateral gray masses and encloses the central canal. |
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Dorsal (Posterior) Horns |
Two horn-like dorsal projections of the gray matter. |
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Ventral (Anterior) Horns |
A pair of ventral projections of the gray matter which consist of somatic motor neurons. |
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Lateral Horns |
Columns located in the thoracic and superior lumbar segments of the spinal cord and is the gray matter projection between the ventral and dorsal horn, which consist of mostly autonomic motor neurons. |
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Ventral Roots |
Contain somatic motor neuron axons that signal the skeletal muscles (their effector organs) and automatic motor neuron axons that signal the visceral organs, serving both motor divisions of the PNS. |
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Dorsal Roots |
Afferent fibers carrying impulses from the peripheral sensory receptors. |
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Dorsal Root Ganglion |
Enlarged region of the dorsal root that contains the cell bodies of the associated sensory neurons. |
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Four Zones of the Spinal Gray Matter |
From Posterior to Anterior: Somatic Sensory (SS) Visceral Sensory (VS) Visceral (Automatic) Motor (VM) Somatic Motor (SM) |
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White Matter: Three Directions of Fiber |
Ascending Descending Transverse |
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Ascending Fibers of White Matter |
Sends sensory inputs up to higher centers. |
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Descending Fibers of White Matter |
Sends motor outputs down to the cord from the brain or within the cord to lower levels. |
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Tranverse Fibers of White Matter |
Commisural fibers running across from one side of the cord to the other. |
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What is the name of the three divisions of the spinal cord's white matter? |
White Columns or Funiculi |
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Three Divisions of White Columns/Funiculi |
Dorsal (Posterior) Funiculi Lateral Funiculi Ventral (Anterior) Funiculi |
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Pathway Generalization: Four Key Points in Regards to Spinal Tracts and Pathways |
Decussation Relay Somatotopy Symmetry |
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Decussation |
Pathways of nerve fibers crossing from one side of the CNS to the other (decussate). |
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Relay |
Pathways consist of a chain of two or three neurons (a relay) that contribute to successive tracts of the pathway. |
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Somatotopy |
Pathways exhibiting a precise spatial relationship among the tract fibers that reflects the orderly mapping of the body. |
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Symmetry |
All pathways and tracts are paired symmetrically (right and left), with a member of the pair present on each side of the spinal cord or brain. |