Patient having trouble completing everyday tasks

Anatomy

Cerebrum

Sulci

Central Sulcus

Gyri

Precentral Gyrus

Postcentral Gyrus

Anterior to Central Sulcus

Posterior to Central Sulcus

Longitudinal Fissure

Cerebral Hemispheres

Left

Right

Lobes

Occipital lobe

Parietal lobe

Temporal lobe

Insula

Frontal lobe

Physiology

Cerebrum

Cerebral Hemispheres

Two halves of the brain (left and right)

Longitudinal Fissure

Deep sulcus dividing the cerebral hemispheres

Sulci

indentation

Central Sulcus

seperats frontal and parietal lobes

Gyri

Bump

Precentral Gyus

primary motor area of the brain

Postcentral sulcus

primary sensory area of the brain

Lobes

Frontal lobe

personality and motor functions

Occipital lobe

visual information

Temporal lobe

senses for hearing and smelling

Parietal lobe

general sensory functions

Insula

sense of taste

temporal

occipital-lobe

parietal-lobe

insula

frontal

Spinal Cord

Nervous tissue

Gray Matter

White Matter

Inside

Outside

Meninges

Dura mater

Arachnoid Mater

Pia Mater

Deep

Middle

Superficial

Structures

Gray Horns

Dorsal gray horns

Ventral gray horns

Lateral Gray horns

dorsal side of gray matter

ventral side of gray matter

lateral side of gray matter

Roots

Dorsal root

Ventral root

dorsal side of spinal cord

Dorsal root Ganglion

ventral side of spinal cord

enlarged area on dorsal root

Grooves

Ventral medial fissure

Dorsal medial sulcus

Central Canal

open space in middle of gray matter

White matter tracts

Spinal Cord

Meninges

Pia Mater

Arachnoid Mater

Dura Mater

attached to skull

attached to brain

middle, houses cerebrospinal fluid

Nervous Tissue

Gray matter

White matter

contain cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons

contains myelinated axons

Structures

Gray horns

Dorsal gray horns

Ventral gray horns

Lateral gray horns

contains somatic motor neurons

contains interneurons

skeletal movement

processes sensory impulses

contains visceral motor neurons

autonomic functions

Roots

Dorsal root

Sensory nerve, brings in impulse to interneuron from receptor

Ventral Root

Motor nerve

Sends out motor impulse from interneuron to effector

Doral root ganglion

houses the sensory nerve cell bodies

Central Canal

filled with cerebrospinal fluid

White matter tracts

Ascending tracts

surrounds gray matter, contains columns of myelinated axons

transports sensory information to the brain from the body

Descending tracts

transports motor information from the brain to the body

Tracts

Ascending tracts

1st order neuron

2nd order neuron

3rd order neuron

Descending tracts

Upper motor neuron

Lower motor neuron

Tracts

Ascending Tracts

1st order neuron

2nd order neuron

3rd order neuron

neuron collects information from a receptor to the spinal cord

interneuron passes information in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord

neuron sends information from the thalamus to the cerebral cortex to be processed

Descending tracts

Upper motor neuron

motor neuron in the brain or brainstem that send information to a lower motor neuron in the lateral or ventral gray horns

Lower motor neuron

motor neuron that synapse with the muscle to transmit a motor impulse from the lateral or ventral gray horn to the effctor

Example

Spinothalamic tract

1st order neuron

collects sensory information from a receptor and brings it to the dorsal gray horn.

2nd order neuron

passes sensory information from 1st order neuron in dorsal gray horn to the thalamus.

3rd order neuron

sends the sensory information from the thalamus to be processed in the sensory homunculus of the cerebral cortex.

Example

Upper motor neuron

the motor neuron starts in the motor homunculus of the cerebral cortex and sends a motor impulse to the lower motor neuron in the lateral gray horn.

Lower motor neuron

the motor neuron sends the motor impulse from the upper motor neuron in the lateral gray horn to a muscle.

Process of Movement

Brain and spinal structures involved in the process of movement

Upper motor neuron

Precentral gyrus

Basal nuclei

Cerebellum

Descending tract

Lower motor neuron

Skeletal muscle effector

1st: Upper motor neuron of a descending tract

2nd: Upper motor neuron leaves the motor homunculus in the precentral gyrus

3rd: Upper motor neuron travels through the basal nuclei

4th: Upper motor neuron leaves basal nuclei to cerebellum

5th:Upper motor neuron leaves cerebellum and continues down the descending tract

6th: Upper motor neuron synapses with lower motor neuron

7th: Lower motor neuron synapses with skeletal muscle effector

Motor humunculus

Its starts on the area of the motor homunculus that corresponds with the muscle that is trying to be activated

The basal nuclei processes the motor information to prevent unwanted movements.

The cerebellum processes the motor information to make corrections for smooth coordinated movements

Upstream

Direct cause

Amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Affect nerve cells in motor nerurons

Cause of muscle weakness

cause of her fall

Indirect cause

Fixed risk factors

Age

Herditary

Lifestyle factors

was in the Army

could have been exposed to a metal or chemical, traumatic injury, viral infection, intense exertion

over 40

both brother and father had it

Downstream

Muscular System

Nervous system

Brain

Dementia

Muscles

weakened skeletal muscles

weakened muscles around the mouth

weakened diaphragm and intercostals

trouble breathing

mechanical ventilation

tracheotomy connected to a respirator

difficulty speaking

speech therapy

difficulty moving limbs

physical therapy

occupational therapy

problems chewing and swallowing

difficulty eating

modify food for easy consumption

could eventually need a feeding tube

medications

medication