Motor Control Flashcards

1
Q

what are the three levels in the motor control hierarchy?

A

> High: strategy (goal and movement strategy)
middle: tactics (sequence of muscles movements to achieve the goal)
low: execution (activation of motor neuron pools)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what do the ventral medial pathways of the spinal cord control?

A

posture and locomotion under brain stem control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

1/3 of the corticospinal tract originate in what areas?

A

4 and 6 of the frontal motor cortex

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

where does the smaller rubrospinal tract start?

A

the red nucleus of the midbrain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is the effect of a lesion on the corticospinal tract and the rubrospinal tract?

A

fine movements of arms and hands lost. cant move shoulders, elbows, wrist and fingers independently.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is the effect of a lesion on the corticospinal tract alone?

A

there is loss of fine movements of the hands and arms but after a few months functions start to reappear as they have been taken over by the rubrospinal tract.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

name the two lateral pathways controlling voluntary movement

A

> corticospinal tract

> rubrospinal tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

name the two ventromedial pathways controlling posture

A

> vestibulospinal tracts

> tectospinal tracts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what do the vestibulospinal tracts control?

A

head and neck stabalisation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what do the tectospinal tracts control?

A

eye stability as the body moves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what ventromedial pathways control the trunk and antigravity muscles?

A

the pontine and medullary reticulospinal tracts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is the function of the pontine and medullary reticulospinal tracts?

A

they use sensory information about balance, body position and vision to reflexly maintain body position by innervating the trunk and limb muscles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how does the motor cortex directly activate spinal motor neurons?

A

by communicating via nuclei of ventromedial pathways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what do lateral tracts from the cortex control?

A

precise skilled voluntary movements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is the primary motor cortex?

A

the precentral gyrus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what will weak stimulation of area 4 cause?

A

a weak twitch in specific contralateral muscles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what are the two somatotopically organised motor maps in area 6?

A

> premotor area

> supplementary motor area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

how is a mental image of the body in space produced?

A

by somatosensory, proprioceptive and visual inputs to posterior parietal cortex (areas 5 and 7)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

where are decisions made about action to take and their outcome?

A

the prefrontal and parietal cortex

20
Q

what happens when axons from the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex converge in area 6?

A

signals encoding what actions are desired are converted into how actions will be carried out

21
Q

what does a change in body position initiate to correct postural instability?

A

a rapid compensatory feedback message from the brainstem vestibular nuclei to spinal cord motor neurons AND feedforward anticipatory adjustments by the reticular formation nuclei to stabilise posture

22
Q

what does cortical damage cause?

A

immediate flaccidity of contralateral muscles (hypotonia). then after a few days spinal circuits regain function.

23
Q

what does Babinski sign indicate?

A

incomplete upper control of spinal circuits

24
Q

what makes up the corpus striatum?

A

two principle nuclei: caudate and putamen

25
Q

what are the input zone for the basal ganglia?

A

caudate and putamen nuclei

26
Q

what does the putamen fire before?

A

limb and trunk movements

27
Q

what does the caudate fire before?

A

eye movements

28
Q

what do medium spiny neurons in putamen and caudate receive?

A

excitatory cortical inputs on dendrites

29
Q

what do medium spiny neurons integrate?

A

somatosensory, premotor and motor cortical inputs

30
Q

what do the medium spiny neurons project inhibitory axons to?

A

> globus pallidus

> substantia nigra pars reticulata

31
Q

what is the functional consequence of cortical activation of the putamen?

A

excitation

32
Q

how does cortical activation of putamen boosts cortical excitation?

A

> at rest globus pallius neurons inhibit VL
cortical excitation excites putamen
putamen inhibits the inhibitory globus pallidus
this releases cells in VLo from inhibition so activity in VLo boosts SMA activity

33
Q

what does the direct pathway of cortical input flow through the basal ganglia do?

A

selects specific motor actions

34
Q

what does the indirect pathway of cortical input flow through the basal ganglia do?

A

suppresses competing/inappropriate action

35
Q

how does the indirect pathway antagonise the direct pathway through the basal ganglia?

A

> striatum inhibits globus pallidus external which then inhibits the globus pallidus internal and the subthalmic nuclei
the cortex then excites the subthalmic nuclei which excites the GPI which inhibits the thalamus

36
Q

what is hypokinesia?

A

> slowness and difficulty in making voluntary movements
increased muscle tone
tremors of the hand and jaw

37
Q

what causes hypokinesia?

A

degeneration of neurons in the substrantia nigra and their dopaminergic (excitatory) inputs to the striatum

38
Q

what does the depletion of dopamine cause?

A

closing down activation of focused motor activation that funnel through the thalamus to the SMA

39
Q

what is the effect of dopamine on cortical inputs?

A

> enhancement through direct routes

> suppression through indirect routes

40
Q

what is characteristic chorea?

A

spontaneous uncontrolled rapid flicks and major movements with no purpose seen in huntingtons

41
Q

name a basal ganglia disorder

A

huntingtons

42
Q

what causes huntingtons effects?

A

profound loss of caudate, putamen and globus pallidus: loss of inhibitory effects of the basal ganglia

43
Q

what do lesions in the cerebellum produce?

A

uncoordinated inaccurate movements, ataxia

44
Q

what parts of the bran are a large part of cortico-ponto-cerbellar projection?

A

> layer 5
areas 4
area 6
somatosensory cortex

45
Q

through what does the cerebellum communicate tot he cortex?

A

via the ventrolateral thalamus