CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

(C.N.S)
 Divisions of the C.N.S.

1. Brain:
It is composed of 4 subdivisions:
➢ Cerebrum.
➢ Cerebellum.
➢ Dienchephalon ( thalamus,
metathalamus, hypothalamus ,
subthalamus & epithalamus)
➢ Brain stem: (mid brain, pons &
medulla).

2. Spinal cord:
 General characteristics of C.N.S.

1. Covered by meninges.
2. Protected by bone.
3. Soft jelly like because it does
not contain C.T. MCQ

4. Consists of white matter & grey

matter according to the
distribution of myelin. MCQ
5. Developed from the neural
tube.
 Spinal cord
❑Cylindrical in shape.
❑ Protected by the vertebral
column.
❑Continuous above with the
medulla & its lower end is
conical in shape which is
called conus medullaris.
❑Covered by meninges (pia,
arachinoid & dura matter).
 Histology of spinal cord
• General characteristics of spinal cord section:
1. It has a central canal.
2. It has an H- shaped grey matter in the centre.
3. It has a peripheral white matter.
4. It has a dorsal median septum & a ventral median fissure.
 The grey matter
➢2 dorsal (posterior) horns &
2 ventral (anterior) horns
joined by grey commissure.
➢In thoracic & upper 2 lumbar
segments there are additional
2 lateral horns.
➢It is formed of nerve cell
bodies, neuroglial cells &
naked nerve fibres .
 The grey matter
➢The posterior horns contain
sensory nuclei.
➢The anterior horns contain
motor nuclei.
➢The lateral horns contain
sympathetic nuclei.
➢The commissure contains
commissural nuclei.

Nucleus
 The white matter
• It is formed of myelinated
nerve fibers and neuroglial
cells.
• It is divided into posterior,
lateral & anterior columns.
• Posterior (dorsal) column:
lies between dorsal median
septum & posterior horn.
• It contains ascending tracts
only.
• Lateral column: lies
between anterior & posterior
horns.
• Anterior (ventral) column:
lies between ventral median
fissure & anterior horn.
❑Anterior & lateral columns
contain both ascending &
descending tracts.

Tracts
 Tracts of the spinal cord

1. Long: ascending or descending.

2. Short: both ascending & descending.
 Ascending tracts of spinal cord

4 tracts carrying sensations 4 tracts that carry impulses to

that reach the cerebral cortex sub cortical level

1. Gracile tract 1. Dorsal spinocerebellar tract.

2. Cuneate tract 2. Ventral spinocerebellar tract.

3. Lateral spinothalamic tract. 3. Spino olivery tract.

4. Ventral spinothalamic tract. 4. Spinotectal tract.

General
rules for
sensory
pathways
Pathway of proprioception & fine touch from the
body
• Proprioception: Sense of position
Sense of movement
sense of vibration.

Fine touch: sense of tactile localization

tactile discrimination
& Stereognosis.
 Receptor for proprioception

1. Muscle spindle in the muscle.

2. Tendon spindle in the tendon.
3. Pacinian corpuscle in the connective tissue capsule of joints.
 Receptors for fine touch

1. Meissner’s corpuscle.
2. Ruffini’s corpuscle.
3. Merkel's disc.
Proprioceptive pathway
st
◼ 1 order neurone : 3rd
◼ large cells in spinal
ganglia.
◼ Thick myelinated
2nd
◼ Central branches
◼ Medial division of post
root.
◼ Sacral, lumbar & lower
thoracic ↑ as gracile
tract.
◼ Upper thoracic &
cervical ↑ as cuneate
tract. 1ST
◼ 2nd order neurone:
◼ Cells of gracil &
cuneate nuclei in
closed medulla on the 3rd
same side.
◼ Sensory decussation
(internal arcuate
2nd
fibres)
◼ Form medial
lemniscus.
◼ 3rd order neuron:
◼ plvnt
◼ sensory radiation
◼ cortex area 3 , 1 , 2

1ST
 Medial lemniscus
• Def: ascending Secondary sensory bundle in
the brain stem.

• Origin: gracile & cuneate nuclei in medulla

of opposite side that give rise to internal
arcuate fibres.

• Course: ascend in brain stem in a medial

position.

• Termination: p.L.V.N.T.
• Function: carries propioception & fine touch
from opposite side of the body.
 Pain & temperature pathway

L
Receptors:
free nerve endings.

◼ 1st order neurone :

◼ small cells in spinal
ganglia.
◼ Thin myelinated
◼ Central branches
◼ Lateral division of post
root
◼ Up & down 1 or 2 seg in
lissauer’s tract
◼ 2nd order neurone :
◼ Cells of substantia
gelatinosa of rolandi
(SGR).
◼ Fibers cross just in front
of the central canal
◼ Lat spinothalamict in lat
col.
Lesion?

◼ 3rd order neurone :

◼ PLVNT
◼ sensory radiation
◼ cortex area 3 , 1 , 2
 Crude touch pathway
Receptors:
1- free nerve endings.
2- peritrichial nerve endings.
3- merkel’s disc.
4- meissner’s corpuscle.

◼ 1st order neurone :

◼ Medium sized cells in spinal
ganglia.
◼ Medium sized myelinated.
◼ Central branches.
◼ Medial division
◼ synapse with MSN.

M
◼ 2nd order neurone :

◼ MSN.
◼ Fibers cross in front of the
central canal
◼ Form ventral spinothalamic
Lesion?

◼ 3rd order neurone :

◼ PLVNT
◼ sensory radiation
◼ cortex area 3 , 1 , 2
 Spinal lemniscus

• Def: ascending 2ry sensory bundle in the brain stem

formed by lateral & ventral spinothalamic tracts.

• Course: in pons → mid brain.

• Termination: plvnt.
• Function: pain, temperature & crude touch from the
opposite side of body.
 Tabes dorsalis
Def:
• Bilateral degeneration of the gracile &
cuneate tracts due to syphilis.
• It results in loss of proprioception & fine
touch.
Symptoms:
• The patient suffers from sensory ataxia
(which is a marked disturbance in gait).
• The patient fails to identify objects.
• The situation of his limbs when his eyes
are closed.
 Syringomyelia
➢ Def: Congenital cystic dilatation of
the central canal of the spinal cord in
the lower cervical and upper
thoracic regions.
➢ It causes pressure on the lateral
spinothalamic tract.
➢ Leading to loss of pain &
temperature sensations in the upper
limbs and chest .
➢ Touch sensation is kept (due to
intact gracile & cuneate tracts) while
pain & temperature are lost (due to
injury of lat. Spinothalamic tract.
This condition is called dissociated
sensory loss.
1/ One of the following tracts reaches the higher cortex:
a) Spino-olivary tract
b) Gracil
c) Spino-tectal tract
d) Dorsal spino-cerebellar tract
e) Ventral spino-cerebellar tract

2. In Tabes Dorsalis, the following sensations are affected except:

a. Tactile localization
b. Tactile discrimination
c. Pain and temperature
d. Sense of movement
e. Sense of position
3. The following sensations enter the spinal cord
through the medial division of the posterior root
except:
a. Pain and temperature
b. Stereognosis
c. Vibration sense
d. Sense of position
e. Tactile localization
4. Dissociated sensory loss means:
A. Loss of movement of upper limb
B. Loss of vibration sense
C. Loss of tactile localization
D. Loss of pain and temperature with preservation of touch
E. Loss of proprioception with preservation of pain and temperature
5. In dorsal root ganglion, one of the following cells is concerned with pain
and temprature sensation:

a. Large cells
b. Intermediate cells
c. Small cells
d. All of the above

6. The grey matter of the spinal cord contains sensory

nuclei in:
a. Anterior horns
b. Lateral horns
c. Post commisural grey matter
d. Posterior horns
e. Anterior commisural grey matter
 Dr. Hala Hassan
Lecturer of Histology and Cell Biology