Physiology Flashcards
Areas associated with the production of voluntary motion: (3)
- Primary motor cortex (precentral gyrus)
- Supplementary motor cortex
- Pre-motor cortex
Additionally, parts of the pre-frontal cortex and the parietal cortex contribute to voluntary motion as well.
A dorsal pathway leaving the occipital cortex and going to the parietal/frontal cortex enables us to:
Complete motor acts based on visual input.
This path allows you to play catch with your friends…
The ventral pathway relays info to the inferior temporal cortex and allows us to:
Process the visual image so that we can copy it if needed and name/recognize it.
Similar or related objects are all coded for in localized regions of the temporal lobe. There is a specialized area for recognizing faces.
When reaching for an object, there are 2 pathways:
Pathway 1: Where the object is located in space.
Pathway 2: Mapping the location of your arms in relation to the object.
Pathway 1
- Multiple areas within the parietal cortex receive the input from the occipital cortex: (4)
- End result:
- V6A
- PEc
- MIP (medial intraparietal area)
- VIP (ventral intraparietal area)
End result: The VIP creates a rough map of the space around you.
Pathway 1
- From the VIP (ventral intraparietal area), the info is sent to:
- End result:
F4 within the premotor cortex.
End result: F4 creates a detailed map of the space around you. Neurons here are particularly excited by proximity.
Pathway 2
- Within the parietal cortex, the initial processing is the same regions (V6A, PEc, AIP), but the info is instead sent to:
- End result:
F2 within the premotor cortex.
End result: F2 constructs a map similar to what we saw in F4, but it contains info about where you are in space.
To grasp an object, visual information is relayed to an area of the parietal cortex that is lateral to what was involved in creating the map of space when reaching for an object. This area is called the: (2)
- Anterior intraparietal area (AIP)
- PFG (parts of the inferior parietal cortex)
The AIP and PFG contain 3 sets of neurons:
- Visually dominant neurons fire when you see an object to grasp.
- Motor dominant neurons fire when grasping an object.
- Visuomotor neurons fire during either condition.
Unlike what we saw when reaching, the object has to be within your reach (not just any graspable object).
The AIP and PFG relay their info to:
What do these neurons encode?
F5 (premotor cortex area)
Encodes the GOAL of the action.
Neurons in F5 (premotor cortex) are involved in determining the ______ of the motor act
Intent
ANY motor action with the same intent activates the F5 neurons REGARDLESS of the physical specifics of the act (grasping top edge of cup vs. handle).
Premotor Cortex
Role of the ventral (lateral) regions (F4 and F5):
Integrate the sensory information required to complete the motion
Premotor Cortex
Role of the dorsal (medial) regions: (3)
- Determine whether it is appropriate to move.
- Identifies the intent of the motion.
- Determines what motion to produce.
2 divisions of the Supplementary motor cortex:
What is the role of each?
- Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) - postural control, multi-joint movements
- Pre-supplementary Motor Area (Pre-SMA) - plans complex motor actions.. active with the thought of motion, NOT with the actual motion
The Supplementary Motor Cortex has 3 main roles:
- Organize motor sequences
- Acquire motor skills
- Executive control (particularly the decision to switch actions/strategies)
Location of the primary motor cortex:
Precentral gyrus
T/F: Regions which do things requiring fine control have the most representation within each of these areas of the primary motor cortex (e.g., fingers, tongue).
TRUE
Cells in the primary motor cortex (precentral gyrus) are arranged in _______, and stimulation produces a ________ ________.
- column
- specific movement
T/F: If we’re in an area that controls a more general motion, stimulation may produce contraction of a GROUP of muscles (e.g., in your back).
TRUE
Only output is via _________ cells - located in one layer of the column (where the pyramidal tract gets its name).
-pyramidal
Layer _ receives sensory (afferent) input (muscle and joint proprioceptors, etc).
Layer 4
Layer _ becomes the output for the corticospinal (pyramidal) tract via pyramidal cells.
Layer 5
T/F: Compared to the sensory cortex, motor cortex has expanded layer 5 and compressed layers 2, 3, and 4.
TRUE
There appears to be 2 sets of neurons in each column:
- One set STARTS the movement
- The other set MAINTAINS the movement