Neuroscience Practical Exam: Reviewer

SY 2011-2012 Prepared by: Subsection C3 + C4

Prayer Before Study

Lord, true source of light & wisdom Give us a keen sense of understanding, a retentive memory & the capacity to grasp things correctly. Grant us the grace to be accurate in our expositions & the skills to express ourselves with thoroughness and clarity. Be with us a the start of our study, guide its progress & bring it to completion Grant this, through Christ our Lord AMEN

SPECIMEN: Notochord -Involved in primary neurulation

-Source of inducer substance to stimulate underlying ectoderm to thicken & form the neural plate
-Defines the long axis of the embryo; determines orientation of the vertebral column

SPECIMEN: Notochord POINTED STRUCTURE: Neural tube -Gives rise to the CNS -Rostral 2/3 -> brain -Caudal 1/3 -> spinal cord up to the lumbar area -After induction of the notochord:

Neural plate -> [from day 18 to 25] neural groove (indentation) & neural folds (flap) -> neural tube (fusion of neural folds)

SPECIMEN: Primary brain vesicle POINTED STRUCTURE: Anterior neuropore Primary brain vesicle -made up of forebrain (prosencephalon), midbrain (mesencephalon), and hindbrain (rhombencephalon) -Failure of fusion of anterior neuropore will result to: -Anencephaly -> absence of calvaria in the skull -Microcephaly -> abnormally small skull -Abnormal fascies

SPECIMEN: Secondary brain vesicle POINTED STRUCTURE: Telencephalic vesicle Derived from the forebrain: - telencephalon - diencephalon Derived from the hindbrain: - metencephalon - pons & cerebellum (adult) - myelencephalon - medulla (adult)

POINTED STRUCTURE: Somite -Adult derivations: -Dermatome -> skin innervation

-Sclerotome -> vertebra

-Myotome -> muscular innervation

SPECIMEN: Substantia nigra (midbrain) POINTED STRUCTURE: special pigmented neuron

SPECIMEN: Cerebral cortex POINTED STRUCTURE: Cortical neuron surrounded by neuroglia/glial cells

SPECIMEN: Cerebellum STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: Purkinje Cell

Layers of Cerebellum: 1. Molecular Layer 2. Purkinje Cell Layer 3. Granule Cell Layer 4. Deep White Matter

-according to length, Purkinje cell is: -golgi cell type 1 (projection neuron)

SPECIMEN: Spinal Cord STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: Anterior Horn Cell / Neuron -Multipolar neuron -Motor function -Intermediate sized Nissl bodies at the periphery -Fewer satellite cells -Associated with unmyelinated nerve fibers -Presence of synapse

SPECIMEN: Spinal Ganglion STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: Ganglion Cell or Neuron
-Pseudounipolar -Sensory function -Fine Nissl bodies uniformly dispersed -Presence of numerous satellite cells -Associated with myelinated fibers -No synapse

SPECIMEN: Skeletal muscle STAIN: NADH POINTED STRUCTURE: type 1 fiber (dark staining) -Type 1 -more mitochondria -lesser glycogen -Type 2 (light staining) -lesser mitochondria -more glycogen

SPECIMEN: Muscle STAIN: modified Gomori Trichome POINTED STRUCTURE: Muscle fiber 1. Tiny red dots MITOCHONDRIA
1

2. Stained red or purple - NUCLEI

SPECIMEN: Muscle STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: nuclei (peripherally located)

SPECIMEN: Muscle STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: Perimysium Connective tissue coverings of the skeletal muscle: -Epimysium (outermost) -Perimysium (in between each fascicle) -neurovascular structures are found here -Endomysium (each muscle fiber)

SPECIMEN: Osmicated teased nerve fibers STAIN: Osmium tetraoxide (stains myelin black or brown) POINTED STRUCTURE (with the arrowhead): Nodes of Ranvier -Myelinated nerve fiber -covered by myelin (whitish lipoprotein complex) -produced by: -PNS: Schwann cells (one axon at a time) -CNS: Oligodendrocytes (multiple myelination)

SPECIMEN: Nerve STAIN: H&E POINTED STRUCTURE: Node of Ranvier Function: saltatory nerve conduction

SPECIMEN: Nerve STAIN: Methylene blue POINTED STRUCTURE: Perineurium -plays a role in the formation of the bloodnerve barrier -vasa nervorum supplies blood to the peripheral nerves

DORSAL
dorsal funiculus
dorsal median sulcus dorsal gray horn

intermediate zone

lateral funiculus

ventral gray horn ventral funiculus (white matter)

ventral median fissure

VENTRAL

SPECIMEN: Cervical spinal cord -from C1 to C7 -passes ABOVE their corresponding vertebra -C8 -passes BELOW CV7

Features: -Relatively small dorsal & ventral horns -Thicker dorsal, lateral & ventral funiculi -Due to thicker white matter -No intermediolateral horn

SPECIMEN: Thoracic spinal nerve POINTED STRUCTURE: Lateral horn/Intermediolateral horn -where the nucleus of the preganglionic sympathetic nerve fibers are found -located only in the lumbar spinal nerve -Dorsal columns -purely ascending fiber tracts (sensory) -responsible for conscious proprioception -2 types: -Fasciculus cuneatus -Laterally located -Cervical to mid-thoracic level -Upper extremities -Fasciculus gracilis -Medially located -Lower extremities

SPECIMEN: Lumbar spinal nerve Feature: -thicker gray horn -wider ventral horn -> more innervation-> larger muscles of the LE

SPECIMEN: Sacral spinal nerve -Spinal cord ends at the lower level of LV 1 -Known as conus medullaris -Filum terminale part of the coccygeal bone where the conus medullaris is anchored

passage of vertebral arteries (O: subclavian artery

bifid spines

heart-shaped

pointed downwards

where the spinal nerve exits

kidney shaped

pointed horizontally