4. Action

Question 1

motor programs

Answer 1

• the plan to produce a particular motor action that occurs independently of the effectors used to carry out the movement

Question 2

lower motor neurons

Answer 2

• also called primary motor neuron

- directly innervates muscle

Question 3

local circuit neurons

Answer 3

• also called interneuron

- neurons local connections contribute to processing circuitry

Question 4

upper motor neurons

Answer 4

• a neutron that gives rise to a descending projection that controls the activity of lower motor neurone in the brainstem and spinal cord

Question 5

primary motor cortex

Answer 5

• essential for voluntary control of movement

- located in the percentile gyrus

Question 6

premotor cortical areas

Answer 6

• includes premotor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, and parts of the parietal cortex that provide motor programming signals to the primary motor cortex

Question 7

premotor cortex

Answer 7

• part of the prefrontal cortex

- involved in planning movement

Question 8

supplementary motor cortex

Answer 8

• premotor area that plays an important role in movement planning at a conceptual level
• particularly when plans involve internally generates sequences of actions (tying shoelaces, playing a song on the piano)

Question 9

medullary pyramids

Answer 9

• longitudinal bulges on the ventral aspect of the medulla that signify the corticospinal tracts at this level of the nervous system

Question 10

frontal eye fields

Answer 10

• associated with area 8a, plays a key role in voluntary visual orienting movements

Question 11

superior colliculus

Answer 11

• paired structures that form part of the roof of the midbrain, important in orienting movements of the head and eyes

Question 12

saccades

Answer 12

• ballistic eye movement that changes the point of binocular visual fixation; normally occur at a rate of about three to four per second

Question 13

readiness potential

Answer 13

• electrical potential that signals the intention to initiate a voluntary movement well in advance of actual production of the movement

Question 14

anosognosia

Answer 14

• lack of awareness at ones own disability

Question 15

reward value

Answer 15

• the likelihood that a particular movement will yield a reward, multiplied by the amount of reward expected

Question 16

optic ataxia

Answer 16

• neurological condition associated with damage to the dorsal parietal cortex and characterized by deficits in visually guided reaching

Question 17

basal ganglia

Answer 17

• made up of the caudate and putamen ( striatum) and the globes pallidus

Question 18

substansia nigra pars reticulata

Answer 18

• component of the midbrain substantial nigra nucleus that plays a key tool in the suppression and initiation of saccadic eye movements

Question 19

parkinsons disease

Answer 19

• neurodegenerative process affecting the substantial nigra that results in a characteristic tremor at rest and a general paucity of movement

Question 20

huntingtons disease

Answer 20

• an autosomal dominant genetic disorder in which a single gene mutation results in damage to the nasal ganglia that causes personality changes, progressive loss of the control of voluntary movement, and eventually death

Question 21

choreiform movements

Answer 21

• uncontrollable writhing or twisting associated with damage t the basal ganglia, occurs in huntingtons disease

Question 22

hemiballismus

Answer 22

• a neurological disorder resulting from unilateral damage to the basal ganglia; manifested by flinging movements of the limbs contralateral to the lesion

Question 23

cerebellum

Answer 23

• concerned with motor coordination, posture, balance, and some cognitive processes; composed of a three-layered cortex and deep nuclei

Question 24

intention tremor

Answer 24

• a tremor that occurs during performance of a voluntary motor act

Question 25

somatic action

Answer 25

• skeletal muscles : move limbs

Question 26

autonomic

Answer 26

• smooth muscles: change BP, digest food
• cardiac muscles: heartbeat
• endocrine glands: secrete hormones
• exocrine glands: secrete sweat, saliva

Question 27

the inverse problem

Answer 27

determining what actions to take in order to achieve goals

Question 28

inverse models

Answer 28

current position and desired position : motor commands

- used to create motor plans

Question 29

forward models

Answer 29

• current position and motor controls: predicted position

- used to evaluate motor plans and/or action

Question 30

feedforward control

Answer 30

-motor command sent to muscle, faster, but less accurate than feedback control

Question 31

feedback control

Answer 31

• motor command sent to muscle, actual state compared to a desired state, adjustments made based on errors
• slower but more accurate than feedforward control