SPLH 620 UPDATED TEST ANSWERS AND
QUESTIONS SET A+
✔✔What are the brainstem's 3 functions? - ✔✔1. Functions as a conduit: corticospinal
tract, DCML & ALS
2. Cranial nerve function: Spinal cord-like function for the head
3. Integrates information: reticular information, complex motor patterns
✔✔What are the 3 parts/areas in the brainstem? - ✔✔1. Midbrain
2. Pons
3. Medulla
✔✔What is the reticular formation involved in? - ✔✔1. Control of movement
2. Modulating transmission of info in
pain pathways
3. Autonomic reflex circuitry: breathing,
heart rate, blood pressure
4. Control of arousal and consciousness
✔✔How exactly does brainstem integration work? - ✔✔The central pattern generator
(which is enabled by the working of the reticular formation). The reticular formation
makes rhythmic behavioral patterns by integrating motor and sensory info by having the
excitatory and inhibitory neurons work together (i.e. when one neuron is firing the other
one isn't). loose interconnected neuron in BS responsible for integrating motor and
sensory info to make such rhythmic patterns
✔✔What do the dorsal and ventral rootlets of the spinal cord control? - ✔✔Dorsal:
sensory
Ventral: motor
(These merge to form the spinal cord)
✔✔What is the difference between the spinal cords horns and its funiculi? - ✔✔Horns
are the grey matter structure (butterfly like), Funiculi is the white matter surrounding it
, ✔✔Spinal injury examples study!! - ✔✔STUDY
✔✔What is the definition of reflex and what does it involve? - ✔✔1. Involuntary
stereotyped response to sensory input
2. Sensory neuron, Motor neuron, and (Interneuron)
✔✔What are motor units? - ✔✔Motor unit: motor neuron + muscle fiber
• Motor neuron "activates" with action potential and releases acetylcholine (ACh)
• ACh is an excitatory neurotransmitter of the PNS
✔✔Each X innervates a fraction of the muscle
fibers in one muscle. The combination of and all the muscle fibers it innervates is a Y. -
✔✔1. lower motor neuron
2. motor unit
✔✔What are small vs. large motor units in charge of? Also how does motor unit
recruitment work? - ✔✔1. - Small: fine control, low force - Large: gross control, high
force
2. Smallest to largest according to needs
• Managed by the CNS
✔✔Increasing X firing frequency recruits
motor units in order of their strength.
• Muscle contraction strength is therefore controlled by Y. - ✔✔X = UMN
Y = the number and rate of neurons firing
✔✔What do 1) somatic 2) special and 3) visceral motor all innervate? - ✔✔1. Innervate
skeletal muscle
2. - Innervates "special" branchiomeric skeletal muscles
3. Innervates (smooth) visceral muscle
FIND OUT WHAT CN EACH FALLS INTO!
✔✔What are the motor branchial cranial nerves ? - ✔✔V, VII, IX, X, XI
✔✔What is the pathway of motor for the body? - ✔✔- UMN
• Corticospinal tract
1. From Motor cortex (frontal lobe)
2. Pyramidal decussation
3. To anterior horn of spinal cord
- LMN
4. Spinal nerves (anterior horn to
muscle)
✔✔What is the pathway of motor for the face? - ✔✔- UMN
QUESTIONS SET A+
✔✔What are the brainstem's 3 functions? - ✔✔1. Functions as a conduit: corticospinal
tract, DCML & ALS
2. Cranial nerve function: Spinal cord-like function for the head
3. Integrates information: reticular information, complex motor patterns
✔✔What are the 3 parts/areas in the brainstem? - ✔✔1. Midbrain
2. Pons
3. Medulla
✔✔What is the reticular formation involved in? - ✔✔1. Control of movement
2. Modulating transmission of info in
pain pathways
3. Autonomic reflex circuitry: breathing,
heart rate, blood pressure
4. Control of arousal and consciousness
✔✔How exactly does brainstem integration work? - ✔✔The central pattern generator
(which is enabled by the working of the reticular formation). The reticular formation
makes rhythmic behavioral patterns by integrating motor and sensory info by having the
excitatory and inhibitory neurons work together (i.e. when one neuron is firing the other
one isn't). loose interconnected neuron in BS responsible for integrating motor and
sensory info to make such rhythmic patterns
✔✔What do the dorsal and ventral rootlets of the spinal cord control? - ✔✔Dorsal:
sensory
Ventral: motor
(These merge to form the spinal cord)
✔✔What is the difference between the spinal cords horns and its funiculi? - ✔✔Horns
are the grey matter structure (butterfly like), Funiculi is the white matter surrounding it
, ✔✔Spinal injury examples study!! - ✔✔STUDY
✔✔What is the definition of reflex and what does it involve? - ✔✔1. Involuntary
stereotyped response to sensory input
2. Sensory neuron, Motor neuron, and (Interneuron)
✔✔What are motor units? - ✔✔Motor unit: motor neuron + muscle fiber
• Motor neuron "activates" with action potential and releases acetylcholine (ACh)
• ACh is an excitatory neurotransmitter of the PNS
✔✔Each X innervates a fraction of the muscle
fibers in one muscle. The combination of and all the muscle fibers it innervates is a Y. -
✔✔1. lower motor neuron
2. motor unit
✔✔What are small vs. large motor units in charge of? Also how does motor unit
recruitment work? - ✔✔1. - Small: fine control, low force - Large: gross control, high
force
2. Smallest to largest according to needs
• Managed by the CNS
✔✔Increasing X firing frequency recruits
motor units in order of their strength.
• Muscle contraction strength is therefore controlled by Y. - ✔✔X = UMN
Y = the number and rate of neurons firing
✔✔What do 1) somatic 2) special and 3) visceral motor all innervate? - ✔✔1. Innervate
skeletal muscle
2. - Innervates "special" branchiomeric skeletal muscles
3. Innervates (smooth) visceral muscle
FIND OUT WHAT CN EACH FALLS INTO!
✔✔What are the motor branchial cranial nerves ? - ✔✔V, VII, IX, X, XI
✔✔What is the pathway of motor for the body? - ✔✔- UMN
• Corticospinal tract
1. From Motor cortex (frontal lobe)
2. Pyramidal decussation
3. To anterior horn of spinal cord
- LMN
4. Spinal nerves (anterior horn to
muscle)
✔✔What is the pathway of motor for the face? - ✔✔- UMN
