Week 7 Preview

Corticospinal tract

• AKA pyramidal tract
• Ventral and lateral tracts in spinal cord
• Motor control of limbs and trunk

Corticobulbar tract

• AKA Corticonuclear tract
• Motor control of face and tongue
• Difficult to pinpoint in a section.

Name the signs and symptoms of upper motor neuron syndrome.

• Spastic paralysis or paresis
• Hypertonia
• Hyperreflexia

_____ lesions result in _____ while ____ result in flaccid paralysis.

1. Infranuclear, atrophy, supranuclear
2. Supranuclear, spastic paralysis, infranuclear
3. Infranuclear, fasciculations, nuclear
4. Nuclear, hypertonia, infranuclear

Corticobulbar lesions above the facial nucleus may result only in transient symptoms.

True

False

Lower motor neurons of the facial nucleus are innervated only by the ______ corticobulbar tract.

Ipsilateral

Contralateral

Extraocular eye muscles are directly controlled by the cerebral cortex.

True

False

A patient presents in your office with unilateral paralysis of their left arm of insidious onset. The arm feels stiff when you attempt to extend it at the elbow, but resistance decreases as you extend it. What would you call this sign?

Adult Babinski Sign (Plantar Reflex)

Babinski

A patient presents to your office complaining of weakness in his right leg. You also observe a change in the patient's gait. Upon examination, you observe that abrupt dorsiflexion of the foot results in a rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the calf muscles, resulting in a tapping-like motion. What would you call this sign?

1. Babinski sign
2. Clasp-knife response
3. Spastic paresis
4. Clonus

Clonus

You are shadowing a physician assigned to the neurological floor at UVRMC. One of the patients on the floor was involved in a motorcycle accident and was not wearing a helmet. The patient is lying on his back with his arms flexed. Where might we find a lesion in his brain?

1. Rostral midbrain
2. Caudal pons
3. Caudal medulla
4. Cervical spinal cord

Extrapyramidal Tracts

Specimens

Name the tract

Name the tract

Name the tract

Name the tract

Name the tract

Where is the corticospinal tract?

Where is the corticospinal tract?

Name the structure

Name the structure