lecture 1

Question 1

function brain stem

Answer 1

posture control

Question 2

function spinal neurons

Answer 2

mono- and poly-synaptic reflexes

Question 3

monosynaptic reflex

Answer 3

A reflex involving only one synapse between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron

Question 4

polysynaptic reflex

Answer 4

A reflex involving multiple synapses, with at least one interneuron between the sensory and motor neuron

Question 5

function motor units

Answer 5

muscle length and muscle tension

Question 6

CoM

Answer 6

centre of mass, The point where the mass of an object is evenly distributed in all directions; it’s the average position of all the mass in a body

Question 7

CoG

Answer 7

centre of gravity, The point where the total weight of a body is considered to act. In a uniform gravitational field, the center of gravity coincides with the center of mass

Question 8

CoP

Answer 8

centre of pressure, the exact point on the ground where all that pressure balances out.

Question 9

BoS

Answer 9

base of support, The area beneath an object or person that includes every point of contact that the object or person makes with the supporting surface

Question 10

postural sway

Answer 10

motion of the CoM/CoG in forwards-backwards direction

Question 11

feedback control

Answer 11

a system that constantly checks how it’s doing and adjusts itself to stay on track.

Question 12

feedforward control

Answer 12

when your body (or a system) acts in advance, based on expectation, rather than waiting for feedback to make corrections.

Question 13

open-loop controller

Answer 13

An open-loop controller is a control system that sends out a command — but doesn’t check if it worked correctly

Question 14

tegmentum

Answer 14

the core or middle part of the brainstem

Question 15

longtudinal fissure

Answer 15

the deep groove that divides your brain into left and right hemispheres

Question 16

sylvian fissure

Answer 16

a deep groove in the brain that separates the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe

Question 17

ventral / anterior

Answer 17

voorzijde

Question 18

dorsal / posterior

Answer 18

achterzijde

Question 19

FEF

Answer 19

frontal eye field

Question 20

SMA

Answer 20

Supplementary Motor Area

Question 21

function Broca’s area

Answer 21

speech production and language processing

Question 22

descending tracts

Answer 22

signals from brain to muscles

Question 23

corticospinal tracts

Answer 23

Pathways that carry motor signals from the brain’s cortex to the spinal cord, controlling voluntary muscle movements

Question 24

vestibulospinal tracts

Answer 24

Pathways that transmit signals from the vestibular system in the inner ear to the spinal cord, helping maintain balance and posture

Question 25

rubrospinal tracts

Answer 25

Pathways that carry motor signals from the red nucleus to the spinal cord, influencing movement and muscle tone, particularly in the limbs

Question 26

pre-central gyrus

Answer 26

plays a key role in sending signals from the brain to the muscles, allowing you to make voluntary movements like walking, talking, or grabbing objects.

Question 27

red nucleus

Answer 27

a small structure located in the midbrain. It plays a role in motor control, particularly in coordinating movement and regulating muscle tone

Question 28

pyramids

Answer 28

two prominent structures located in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem. They contain the corticospinal tracts

Question 29

locomotor rhythm

Answer 29

the rhythmic pattern of movements, like walking or running, generated by neural circuits in the spinal cord, coordinating muscle actions in a repetitive cycle.

Question 30

muscle force generation

Answer 30

the process by which muscles produce force to cause movement

Question 31

sliding filament theory

Answer 31

It states that during muscle contraction, actin slide over the myosin, shortening the sarcomere and generating muscle tension.

Question 32

actin

Answer 32

thin filaments

Question 33

myosin

Answer 33

thick filaments

Question 34

twitch

Answer 34

a brief, single contraction of a muscle fiber or a motor unit in response to a single action potential from a motor neuron.

Question 35

summation

Answer 35

the process by which multiple stimuli are combined to produce a stronger muscle contraction

Question 36

incomplete tetanus

Answer 36

when a muscle is contracted quickly in repeated pulses, but there’s a tiny break between each pulse, so the muscle doesn’t stay fully contracted the whole time

Question 37

complete tetanus

Answer 37

when the muscle is stimulated so fast that there’s no break between the pulses, making the muscle stay fully contracted without any relaxation

Question 38

proprioception

Answer 38

sense of self-movement and body position

Question 39

pacinian corpuscie

Answer 39

sensory receptor, responsible for detecting vibrations and deep pressure

Question 40

Type 1 vestibular receptor cell

Answer 40

It detects changes in head position and movement, helping with balance and spatial orientation.

Question 41

afferent

Answer 41

Arriving at the brain

Question 42

efferent

Answer 42

exiting the brain

Question 43

gamma motor neuron

Answer 43

controls the sensitivity of muscle spindles

Question 44

type Ia afferent axon

Answer 44

Detect how fast and how much a muscle stretches (dynamic + static).

Question 45

type II afferent axon

Answer 45

Detect how much a muscle is stretched (static only).

Question 46

golgi tendon organ

Answer 46

detects muscle tension and helps prevent muscle damage by triggering a reflex that relaxes the muscle if the tension gets too high

Question 47

cutaneous mechanoreceptors

Answer 47

sensory receptors in the skin that detect touch, pressure, vibration, and stretch.

Question 48

supraspinal activity

Answer 48

the involvement of brain regions above the spinal cord in controlling movement and posture.

Question 49

flexor withdrawal

Answer 49

a protective, automatic response where you quickly pull a limb away from something painful

Question 50

cross-extensor reflexes

Answer 50

a protective reflex that helps you maintain balance when you withdraw from pain.

Question 51

Ib afferent axon

Answer 51

comes from the Golgi tendon organ and detects muscle tension.

Question 52

otolith organs

Answer 52

structures in the inner ear that detect gravity and linear movements (like going up in an elevator or moving forward in a car).

Question 53

types of otolith organs

Answer 53

saccule utricle

Question 54

utricle

Answer 54

an otolith organ which detects horizontal movement

Question 55

saccule

Answer 55

an otolith organ which detects vertical movement

Question 56

semicircular canals

Answer 56

structures in the inner ear that detect rotational head movements (like turning your head left or right, tilting, or spinning).

Question 57

anterior canal

Answer 57

type of semicircular canals, detects nodding up and down

Question 58

posterior canal

Answer 58

type of semicircular canals, detects tilting your head toward your shoulder

Question 59

horizontal canal

Answer 59

type of semicircular canals, detects turning your head left or right (like saying "no")

Question 60

pre-reflexes

Answer 60

automatic, involuntary responses to stimuli that occur before a more complex reflex action

Question 61

sensory reweighting

Answer 61

when your brain changes which senses it trusts the most depending on the situation.