Nervous System Organization Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering the organization, development, and clinical aspects of the Nervous System based on Professor Francis J. Liuzzi's lecture.

What was the cause of paresthesia in the 40-year-old woman after foot surgery?

Nerve ischemia caused by a tight tourniquet placed around the calf.

What is the term for the degeneration of distal axons in a nerve following an injury?

Anterograde (Wallerian) degeneration.

Which structures compose the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?

Spinal (dorsal root) ganglia and peripheral nerves.

What does the neural tube develop into?

The future Central Nervous System (CNS).

What does the neural crest develop into?

The future Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

Failure of the rostral neuropore to close leads to which condition?

Anencephaly.

Failure of the caudal neuropore to close is associated with which condition?

Spina bifida.

From which part of the neural tube is the spinal cord derived?

The neural tube caudal to the 4th pair of somites.

In spinal cord development, what are the three described zones?

The Ventricular zone (cell proliferation), Intermediate zone (mantle layer), and Marginal zone (axonal growth).

What do the alar plate and basal plate in the developing spinal cord become?

The alar plate becomes the sensory (afferent) portion, and the basal plate becomes the motor (efferent) portion.

What are the three primary brain vesicles?

Forebrain (prosencephalon), Midbrain (mesencephalon), and Hindbrain (rhombencephalon).

Which CNS glial cells are responsible for producing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

Choroid plexus cells.

How do oligodendroglia differ from Schwann cells in their myelination capacity?

Oligodendroglia can myelinate up to 50 or more axons in the CNS, whereas each Schwann cell in the PNS myelinates only one segment of one axon.

What is the embryological origin of microglia?

Bone marrow.

What is the coordination function of the cerebellum?

It compares planned movements from the cerebral cortex with actual movements being carried out to ensure smooth movement and muscle memory.

What are the characteristics of Parkinson Disease listed in the notes?

Resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), akinesia (inability to initiate movement), shuffling gait, lack of spontaneous movement, slurred speech, and flat affect.

What is the role of astrocytes in the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)?

They induce continuous capillaries to form very tight junctions.

What is 'gliosis' in the context of CNS injury?

A reaction where astrocytes form a glial scar made of tightly woven processes that inhibit axonal regeneration.

Where are the preganglionic neurons of the sympathetic nervous system located?

In the spinal cord lateral horn from $T1$ to $L2$ or $L3$.

What are the two plexuses of the Enteric Nervous System and their specific functions?

The Submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus regulates mucosal activity, and the Myenteric (Auerbach’s) plexus regulates peristalsis.