| pyramidal muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, crest of pubis; insertion, lower portion of linea alba; action, makes linea alba tense; nerve supply, subcostal. Synonym: musculus pyramidalis, pyramidal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| pyramidal muscle of auricle | <anatomy> An occasional prolongation of the fibres of the tragicus to the spina helicis. Synonym: musculus pyramidalis auriculae, Jung's muscle, pyramidal muscle of auricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pyramidal process | The portion of the palatine bone passing lateral and posterior from the angle formed by the vertical and horizontal plates. Synonym: processus pyramidalis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pyramidal radiation | Corticospinal fibres passing from the cortex into the pyramid. Synonym: radiatio pyramidalis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pyramidal tract | A massive bundle of fibres originating from pyramidal cells of various sizes in the fifth layer of the precentral motor (area 4), the premotor area (area 6), and to a lesser extent from the postcentral gyrus. Cells of origin in area 4 include the gigantopyramidal cells of Betz. Fibres from these cortical regions descend through the internal capsule, the middle third of the crus cerebri, and the ventral part of the pons to emerge on the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata as the pyramis. Continuing caudally, most of the fibres cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord as the lateral pyramidal tract, which distributes its fibres throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. In the (extremity-related) spinal cord enlargements, fibres also pass directly to motoneuronal groups that innervate distal extremity muscles subserving particular hand-and-finger or foot-and-toe movements. The uncrossed fibres form a small bundle, the anterior pyramidal tract, which descends in the anterior funiculus of the spinal cord and terminates in synaptic contact with interneurons in the medial half of the anterior horn on both sides of the spinal cord. Interruption of the pyramidal tract at or below its cortical origin causes impairment of movement in the opposite body-half, especially severe in the arm and leg; characterised by muscular weakness, spasticity and hyperreflexia, and a loss of discrete finger and hand movements. Babinski's sign is associated with this condition of hemiplegia. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis, tractus pyramidalis, corticospinal tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pyramidal tractotomy | May be mesencephalic (pedunculotomy or crusotomy), medullary (medullary pyramidotomy), or spinal (spinal pyramidotomy). (05 Mar 2000) |
| direct pyramidal tract | Uncrossed fibres forming a small bundle in the pyramidal tract. See: pyramidal tract. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis anterior, tractus pyramidalis anterior, anterior corticospinal tract, anterior pyramidal fasciculus, direct pyramidal tract, fasciculus corticospinalis anterior, fasciculus pyramidalis anterior, Turck's bundle, Turck's column, Turck's tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lateral pyramidal fasciculus | Those fibres of the pyramidal tract that cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord; they are distributed throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. See: pyramidal tract. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis lateralis, tractus pyramidalis lateralis, crossed pyramidal tract, fasciculus corticospinalis lateralis, fasciculus pyramidalis lateralis, lateral corticospinal tract, lateral pyramidal fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lateral pyramidal tract | Those fibres of the pyramidal tract that cross to the opposite side in the pyramidal decussation and descend in the dorsal half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord; they are distributed throughout the length of the spinal cord to interneurons of the zona intermedia of the spinal gray matter. See: pyramidal tract. Synonym: tractus corticospinalis lateralis, tractus pyramidalis lateralis, crossed pyramidal tract, fasciculus corticospinalis lateralis, fasciculus pyramidalis lateralis, lateral corticospinal tract, lateral pyramidal fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| accelerator fibres | Postganglionic sympathetic nerve fibre's originating in the superior, middle, and inferior cervical ganglia of the sympathetic trunk, conveying nervous impulses to the heart that increase the rapidity and force of the cardiac pulsations. Synonym: augmentor fibres. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adrenergic fibres | Nerve fibres liberating catecholamines at a synapse after an impulse. (12 Dec 1998) |
| afferent fibres | Those that convey impulses to a ganglion or to a nerve centre in the brain or spinal cord. (05 Mar 2000) |
| A fibres | Myelinated nerve fibre's in somatic nerves, measuring 1 to 22 um in diameter, conducting nerve impulses at a rate of 6 to 120 m/sec. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alpha fibres | Large somatic motor or proprioceptive nerve fibre's conducting impulses at rates near 100 m/sec. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anastomosing fibres | Anastomotic fibres, individual fibre's passing from one nerve trunk or muscle bundle to another. (05 Mar 2000) |