7. Motor Systems II Flashcards
(39 cards)
cortical areas:
general functions
- fine motor control
- volitional/voluntary movement

brain stem: general functions
- face and head muscles
- automatic control
- posture and balance

spinal cord:
general functions
- trunk and extremity muscles
- reflex movements
- repetitive movements

list the tracts from the:
cerebral cortex
- corticoSPINAL (lateral & anterior)
- corticoBULBAR
- corticoRETICULAR
list the tracts from the:
brainstem
- RETICULOspinal, medial/lateral
- VESTIBULOspinal, medial and lateral
corticoSPINAL tract:
actions
- volitional control
- trunk and extremities
- fractionating finger movements (moving each one separately)
- precision grip
corticoBULBAR tract:
actions
- volitional control
- muscles of mastication
- facial expression
- tongue
- vocal cords
corticoRETICULAR tract:
actions
- volitional movement
- cortical drive to neurons of reticulospinal tracts
- reaching
- power grip
RETICULOspinal tract:
actions
- postural control of proximal limb and trunk muscles
VESTIBULOspinal tract:
actions
- lateral - postural control
- medial - part of the system to coordinate head and eye movements
how are the descending motor systems
(involv. in movement of trunk/extremities) divided?
which are included in each?
- medial (anterior funiciulus and ventromedial portions of lateral funiculus)
- VESTIBULOspinal - from brainstem
- RETICULOspinal - from brainstem
- CORTICOspinal - from cerebral cortex
- lateral (in lateral funiculus)
- *mostlylateral corticospinal tract

origins contributing to the corticoSPINAL tract
- postcentral gyrus
- primary motor cortex
- premotor cortex
- supplementary motor cortex

postcentral gyrus of corticoSPINAL tract:
function
- efference copy
- informing sensory structures of motor plan to optimize use of proprioceptive feedback related to planned movement
primary motor cortex of corticoSPINAL tract:
function
- volutary movement
- fractionating finger movements
- control of distal limb muscles assoc. w/ volitional movements
- precision grip
premotor cortex of corticoSPINAL tract:
function
- voluntary movement
- reaching and power grip/grasping
- control of proximal limb muscles involved in volitional movements
supplementary motor cortex of corticoSPINAL tract:
function
- mental rehearsal of skilled movements
- volitional movement
somatotopy in primary motor cortex:
describe
- typically, the area of the body corresponds to a point on the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus)
- The areas which are finely controlled (e.g., the digits) have larger portions of the somatosensory cortex whereas areas which are coarsely controlled (e.g., the trunk) have smaller portions
- *viscera do not have sensory locations on postcentral gyrus

medial descending motor pathways;
list and major function
- medially descending pathways
- anterior corticoSPINAL tract
- RETICULOspinal
- VESTIBULOspinal
- major fxn: control of axial and girdle muscles relating to posture and balance
VESTIBULOspinal tract:
info pathway
- receive information through the vestibulocochlear nerve about changes in the orientation of the head.
- The nuclei relay motor commands through the vestibulospinal tract
- part of medial pathway

MEDIAL reticulospinal tract:
origin
pons
LATERAL reticulospinal tract:
origin
medulla
reticulospinal tracts (medial & lateral):
functions
- automatic responses to postural changes to maintain posture/balance (works w/ vestibulospinal tracts)
- controlled by cerebral cortex via corticoreticular tract
- (corticoreticulo-reticulospinal system provides postural control required by volitional movement activities)
- walking

CC: upper motor neuron lesions
(mechanism/where damaged)
- lesions to descending motor neurons
- 2 types
- lesions to brain: involve corticospinal tract, and closely assoc. corticobulbar and corticoreticular tracts
- lesions to spinal cord: damages all of the descending motor tracts on either one side or both sides
which tracts are damaged when there is a lesion in the brain to the descending motor systems?
- corticoSPINAL tract, and the closely assoc.
- corticoBULBAR
- corticoRETICULAR


