L18 Central Neural Pathways

Sensory and Motor Pathways

• Impulses must travel from Receptors → Brain

• Impulses must travel from Brain → Motor Effectors

• Sensory - Ascending

• Motor - Descending

• Nerves with specific information (sensory modalities) travel in designated areas of CNS

• Cerebral Cortex: highest centre for neuronal programming

• Pathways

Sensory Pathways

(Ascending)

• Somatosensory Map
• Somatosensory map not proportional to size of Organ/Surface
• Relayed Heirarchically
• Spinal Cord → Medulla → Thalamus → Cerebral Cortex
  • Cerebral Cortex forms conscious awareness of Sensory information
• Neurone Orders (3)
• Tracts (2) - White matter
• Decussation means: Sensory Information is processed on Contralateral side to stimuli

Syringomyelia - Spinothalamic Lesion