Anesthesia and Critical Care Reviews and Commentary (ACCRAC) Podcast Episode 330: Keywords Part 33 Neuroanatomy
Mar 21, 2026
Dr. Tym Kajstura, an anesthesiology educator known for high-yield neuroanatomy teaching. He walks through brain and spinal divisions, cortical and brainstem functional anatomy, and localization of lesions. They cover spinal cord levels, blood supply including the artery of Adamkiewicz, epidural vs spinal approaches, meninges and hematoma shapes, and cranial nerve parasympathetic organization.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Parse Question Stems To Differentiate Sleep Versus Arousal Nuclei
- Read stems carefully when questions contrast reduced activity versus activation in sleep/awareness nuclei to avoid switching ventrolateral preoptic and locus coeruleus.
- Remember activation of locus coeruleus = alertness; activation of ventrolateral preoptic = sleep, so reduced activity points to locus coeruleus.
Vertebral Landmarks And Nerve Exit Patterns
- Vertebral column numbers and special features are high-yield: C1 atlas ring without body, C2 axis with odontoid, C7 prominent non-bifid spinous, thoracic spinous processes are long and inferiorly angled.
- Spinal cord ends at L1 in adults (L3 in children); cervical nerves exit above vertebrae, from T1 downward they exit below.
Spinal Cord Blood Supply And Adamkiewicz Importance
- Spinal cord blood supply: single anterior spinal artery supplies anterior two-thirds; paired posterior spinal arteries supply posterior one-third; Adamkiewicz often from left aorta supplies lower anterior cord.
- Loss of Adamkiewicz flow (T9–T12 region commonly) risks anterior spinal artery ischemia and paralysis after aortic surgery.