Anatomy & Physiology

BIO 343
NERVOUS SYSTEM

Course Instructor: Joëlle El Hajj, PhD

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Peripheral Nervous System

cranial nerves-
12 pairs

spinal nerves-
31 pairs

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 Spinal Cord
 The Three Meningeal Layers
 Dura mater
 Outer layer of spinal cord
 Arachnoid mater
 Middle meningeal layer
 Pia mater
 Inner meningeal layer

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The Spinal Cord

white matter grey matter

dorsal root pia mater

ventral root arachnoid

spinal dura mater

nerves`
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Gray Matter and White Matter
 Sectional Anatomy of the Spinal Cord
 White matter
 Is superficial
 Contains myelinated and unmyelinated axons
 Gray matter
 Surrounds central canal of spinal cord
 Contains neuron cell bodies, neuroglia,
unmyelinated axons (afferent neurons)
 Has projections (gray horns)

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The Spinal Cord

vertebra
spinal cord

spinal nerve

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Nerve Pathways into the Spinal Cord

sensory
pathway

motor
pathway

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Gray Matter and White Matter

 Organization of White Matter

 Tracts or fasciculi
 In white columns
 Bundles of axons
 Relay same information in same direction
 Ascending tracts
 Carry information to brain
 Descending tracts
 Carry motor commands to spinal cord

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Tracts

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Ascending Tracts

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Descending Tracts

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Spinal Nerves

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Spinal Cord Roots

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 Spinal Nerves
 Each spinal nerve is only about 1 cm long
 After emerging from the spinal cord, each spinal nerve divides into
dorsal and ventral rami
 Rami contain both, efferent motor and afferent sensory fibers
 Smaller dorsal rami serve the skin and muscles of the posterior region
 Ventral rami of spinal nerves T2 - T12 pass anteriorly as the
intercostal nerves; they supply the muscles of the intercostal spaces
and the skin and muscles of the anterior and lateral trunk
 Ventral rami of all other spinal nerves form complex networks called
plexuses, for motor and sensory needs of upper and lower limbs
 From the plexuses the nerves diverge again to form peripheral
nerves; 4 major nerve plexuses are found

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Spinal Nerves- Four Major Plexuses

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Cervical Plexus
 Formed by ventral rami of C1–C4
 Innervates skin and muscles of the
neck, ear, back of head, and shoulders
 Phrenic nerve
 Major motor and sensory nerve of
the diaphragm (receives fibers
from C3–C5)
 Primary danger of a 'broken neck‘:
severed phrenic nerve leading to
paralysis, cessation of breathing
and death- rabbit punch; whiplash
injury

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Cervical Plexus

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Brachial Plexus
 Formed by ventral rami of C5–C8 and T1 (and often
C4 and T2)
 It gives rise to the nerves that innervate the upper
limb
 Major branches of this plexus: Reach To Drink
Cold Beer
 Roots
 Trunks
 Divisions
 Cords
 Branches

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Brachial Plexus
 Lateral to Medial
 Most Alcoholics Must Really Urinate

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Brachial Plexus

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Brachial Plexus
Subdivides into 5 major peripheral nerves which are:
Musculocutaneous nerve: innervates arm muscles that flex
forearm and skin of lateral forearm, e.g. biceps brachii, brachialis.
Damage leads to decreased ability to flex the elbow
Axillary nerve: serves the muscles and skin of the shoulder, e.g.
deltoid muscle. Inhibit abduction of your arm
Median nerve: supplies lateral flexor muscles in the wrist and
several muscles in the lateral part of the hand. Damage causes
inability to pick up small objects due to decreased ability to flex
and abduct thumb and index finger
Radial nerve: large peripheral nerve which innervates all
extensor muscles of the arm, forearm and hand; and all the skin
along the way, e.g. triceps brachialis. damage causes wrist drop
and inability to extend hand at wrist
Ulnar nerve: supplies the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle and all
intrinsic muscles of the hand not served by the median nerve.
Damage causes claw hand with inability to spread medial fingers
apart

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Brachial Plexus

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Brachial Plexus
Axillary Anterior Posterior Trunks Roots
nerve divisions divisions

Humerus
Radial nerve
Musculocutaneous nerve
Ulna
Radius
Ulnar nerve
Median nerve
Radial nerve (superficial branch)
Dorsal branch of ulnar nerve
Superficial branch of ulnar nerve
Digital branch of ulnar nerve
Muscular branch
Median nerve Figure 13.9 (c)
Digital branch
(c) The major nerves of the upper limb
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Thoracic Nerves

 T3-T12
 11 intercostal nerves
 1 subcostal nerve
 Supply muscles of
intercostal spaces
and skin and muscles
of anterior and lateral
trunk

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Lumbar Plexus

 Arises from L1–L4

 Innervates the thigh, abdominal wall, and psoas
muscle
 The largest nerve is the femoral nerve: innervates anterior
thigh muscles, lower abdomen, buttocks, and the skin of
the anteromedial leg and thigh. Damage causes inability to
extend leg and to flex the hip
 Another important nerve is the obturator nerve: innervates
the adductor muscles of the medial thigh and small hip
muscles; serves the skin of the medial thigh and hip joint.
Damage leads to inability to adduct the thigh

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Lumbar Plexus

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Sacral Plexus
 Arises from L4–S4
 Serves the buttock, lower limb, pelvic structures,
and perineum
 Sciatic nerve
 Longest and thickest nerve of the body
 Innervates the lower trunk and the posterior surface of
thigh and leg; Damage leads to inability to extend hip
and to flex the knee --> "sciatica"
 Composed of two nerves: tibial and common fibular

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Sacral Plexus

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Conclusion

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Spinal Cord - Site of Integration of Reflexes (= Gray Matter)
A typical Reflex Arc:
1.Sensory receptor
2.Sensory afferent neuron
3.Integration center
4.Motor efferent neuron
5.Effector- part of body that responds to a motor
nerve impulse

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Reflex Arc
2 SENSORY NEURON 1 SENSORY RECEPTOR
(axon conducts impulses from (responds to a stimulus
receptor to integrating center) by producing a generator
or receptor potential)
Interneuron

3 INTEGRATING CENTER
(one or more regions within the CNS
that relay impulses from sensory to 4 MOTOR NEURON 5 EFFECTOR
motor neurons) (axon conducts impulses from (muscle or gland that
integrating center to effector) responds to motor
nerve impulses)

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Muscle Stretch Reflex

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Dermatomes And Myotomes

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Dermatomes

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Dermatomes

 Skin area that provides sensory input to

CNS via one pair of spinal nerves or
trigeminal nerve, which serves most of
the skin on the face and scalp. Nerves
that supply adjacent dermatomes
sometimes overlap
 Knowing which spinal cord segment
supplies which dermatome makes it
possible to locate damage of spinal
cord. If the skin on that region is
stimulated, but the sensation is not
perceived, then the nerves supplying
that dermatome are probably damaged

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Myotomes

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 Referred Pain
 In general the visceral organ and the area to which the pain is referred
are both served by the same spinal cord segment

Typical example: Sensory

fibers from heart, skin over
the heart and skin along the
medial part of left forearm
all enter spinal cord
segments T1-T5

 Explaining why heart attack sufferers almost always complain of pain

in the skin over the heart and along their left arm

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