The Brain as Controller: Circuits and Control

Question 1

type and location of kinesthetic receptors

Answer 1

1. muscle receptors - muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs
2. joint receptors - in capsules and ligaments of joints
3. skin receptors

Question 2

kinesthetic sensing

Answer 2

perception of limb movement and position, force

Question 3

proprioception

Answer 3

• belonging to one’s own self
• provides a sense of static position and movement of the limbs and body in relation to one other and the world
• opposite of exteroception: sensing things outside of the body

Question 4

vestibular apparatus / labyrinth

Answer 4

check slide pg 16 for diagram

Question 5

info from semicircular canals / utricle / saccule

Answer 5

canals
- semicircular canals (three) have rotation in three dimensions
- hair cells in canals respond to dynamic movement - velocity and acc
- phasic information

utricle and saccule
- utricle and saccule are both part of the balancing systems by using viscous fluids and small stones to stimulate hair cells and detect motion and orientation
- hair cells here create static response to gravity
- tonic information

Question 6

vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)

Answer 6

• stabilizing gaze during head movement
• head moves right, eyes move left
• steadicam of our nervous system!

1. VOR anatomical circuit
   - suppressed during active visual feedback
   - contralateral projection to abducens nucleus
2. VOR control circuit
   - head movement –> semicircular canals –> vestibular nucleus –> neural integrator –> oculomotor system –> eye movement

Question 7

why is brain controller of the body?

Answer 7

• all signals pass through the brain before any response happens