2.21 Motor System 2 Flashcards
LMN are only neurons that convey signals to: (specific)
extrafusal and intrafusal skeletal muscle fibers
How many types of LMN?
2
Cell bodies of LMN are located here
ventral horn of spinal cord
two types of motor neurons
- alpha
- gamma
alpha motor neurons: cell bodies and axons
- large cell bodies
- large, myelinated axons
alpha motor neurons: axons projecting
- project to extrafusal skeletal muscle
- branch into numerous terminals as they approach muscle
Normally, an alpha motor neurons releases enough _______ that all the muscle fibers it innervates contracts
ACh
gamma motor neurons: axons
- medium sized
- myelinated
- project to intrafusal fibers in the muscle spindle
How do most sensory stimuli act?
in ensemble fashion
How do sensory stimuli act in an ensemble fashion?
neurons and CNS interaction
- involved neurons can vary
- appropriate levels of CNS interact to produce context-dependent movement
What is one way to modify movement response to tendon tap?
changing arousal level
- relaxed: tendon elicits small movement
- anxious: greater movement with same force
What are H reflexes?
monosynaptic reflexes elicited by electrically stimulating a nerve
purpose of H reflexes
to quantify the level of alpha motor neuron facilitation or inhibition
compare H reflexes to tendon reflex
- faster
- doesn’t require activation of spindle receptors
What motor signals do UMN provide?
all motor signals from:
- brain to spinal
- from cerebrum to cranial nerve LMNs in the brainstem