Somatic Geneology

Q: What are the three semicircular canals responsible for in the vestibular system?

A: Head movement.

Q: What do the utricle and saccule monitor in relation to gravity?

A: Head position.

Q: Which areas does the vestibular system project to?

A: Cerebellum, brain stem, parieto-insular-vestibular cortex.

Q: What sensation can the parieto-insular-vestibular cortex cause?

A: Dizziness causing nausea.

Q: What is the function of dermatomes in the body?

A: They divide the body into segments served by spinal or cranial nerves.

Q: How does sensory information flow in the body?

A: Enters spinal cord via spinal nerves or brain via cranial nerves, then to thalamus and somatosensory cortex.

Q: What types of sensations are detected by superficial receptors?

A: Touch, warmth, cold, and pain.

Q: What are Meissner's corpuscles and Merkel's discs responsible for?

A: Texture and fine detail.

Q: What do deep receptors like Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings detect?

A: Stretch and perception of grasped objects.

Q: What is the role of free nerve endings in the skin?

A: Detect temperature and pain.

Q: What is the TRPA1 receptor sensitive to?

A: Chemical stimuli like tear gas, tobacco smoke, garlic, and wasabi.

Q: What does the TRPV1 receptor respond to?

A: Heat pain and capsaicin.

Q: What does the TRPM8 receptor respond to?

A: Coolness and menthol.

Q: What is the primary somatosensory cortex responsible for?

A: Somatotopic body map and processing sensory information.

Q: What does the secondary somatosensory cortex integrate?

A : Information from both sides of the body.

Q: What is proprioception?

A: Information about limb and body position and movement.

Q: What are the three types of muscles in the body?

A: Skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles.

Q: What is the function of antagonistic muscles?

A: Produce opposite movements at a joint.

Q: How do myosin and actin cause muscle contraction?

A: Myosin pulls on actin, shortening the muscle.

Q: What do muscle spindles detect?

A: Stretch and initiate reflexes to oppose activity in antagonistic muscles.

Q: What do Golgi tendon organs prevent?

A: Stretching that may damage muscles.

Q: What are central pattern generators responsible for?

A: Rhythmic motor activity patterns like walking and breathing.

Q: What is the role of the basal ganglia in movement?

A: Smooth movements and learning movement sequences.

Q: What does the cerebellum integrate for balance and coordination?

A: Input from the vestibular system.

Q: What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

A: Motor tremors, rigidity, loss of balance and coordination, difficulty initiating movements.

Q: What causes Huntington's disease?

A: Dominant mutation in the huntingtin gene.

Q: What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

A: Muscular weakness, tremor, impaired coordination, urinary incontinence, visual problems.

Q: What is the gate theory of pain?

A: Pain "gate" closed in spinal cord by endorphin release.

Q: What are endorphins and their function?

A: Neurotransmitters and hormones that inhibit substance P release and reduce pain.

Q: What is phantom pain and its treatment?

A: Pain in amputated limbs treated with functional prosthesis or mirror box.

Q: What is the role of the primary motor cortex?

A: Control voluntary movements.

Q: What is the function of the premotor cortex?

A: Planning and coordinating movements.

Q: How does the substantia nigra relate to Parkinson's disease?

A: Deterioration leads to loss of dopamine and motor symptoms.

Q: What is the role of the thalamus in sensory processing?

A: Relay sensory information to the somatosensory cortex.

Q: What is the function of the posterior parietal cortex?

A: Orientation in space, limb location, and object spatial location.

Q: What are the types of pain fibers and their characteristics?

A: A-delta fibers (sharp pain) and C fibers (dull, aching pain).

Q: What is the role of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in pain modulation?

A: Releases endorphins to inhibit substance P and reduce pain.

Q: What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?

A: Process sensory information from the body.

Q: What is the role of the hippocampus in sensory processing?

A: Memory formation and integration of sensory stimuli.

Q: What is the function of the vestibular system?

A: Inform the brain about head position and movement, and help maintain balance.

Q: What are the symptoms of chronic pain?

A: Persistent pain, reduced pain threshold, loss of gray matter.

Q: What is the function of the interoceptive system?

A: Sensations from internal organs.

Q: What is the role of the somatosensory system?

A: Provide information about body surface conditions.

Q: What is the function of the secondary motor areas?

A: Coordinate complex movements.

Q: How does the brain process emotional aspects of pain?

A: Through areas that release endorphins and inhibit pain signals.

Q: What is the role of the spinal cord in pain transmission?

A: Release glutamate and substance P to transmit pain signals.

Q: What is the function of the thalamus in pain processing?

A: Relay pain signals to the somatosensory cortex.

Q: How does the brain respond to chronic pain?

A: Loss of gray matter and increased susceptibility to pain.

Q: What is the role of mirror neurons in phantom pain treatment?

A: Help alleviate pain through mirror therapy.

Q: What are the effects of demyelination in multiple sclerosis?

A: Slowing or elimination of neural impulses, leading to reduced movement speed and strength.