Action Flashcards
What is the MT-TP drug?
A drug that disrupts motor neurons in the substantia nigra and simulates Parkinson’s disease
What is Parkinson’s disease?
A deterioration of the motor neurons in the substantia nigra that distort movement, posture, and facial expressions (NOT anything wrong with muscles, something wrong with brain)
What kind of neurons activate muscles?
Alpha motor neurons
What neurotransmitter is involved in movement?
AcH
What tract provides the direct connections in the spinal neurons?
Corticospinal (pyramidal) tract
Where does the connection in the pyramidal tract originate?
In the cortex (M1 or Brodmann Area 4) and terminates on alpha motor neurons
What are the motor brain areas?
Area 4 is the M1, Area 6 is the SMA and PMC, and Area 8 is the eyefields
Where do the connections originate in the extrapyramidal tract?
The subcortical nuclei
What are the subcortical regions for movement?
Basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, putamen, substantia nigra
What is the cerebellum used for in action?
The planning of movement
What is the center of movement?
The motor cortex (Area 4)
What is the hierarchy of control in movement?
All the movement originates in the spinal cord, but there are various levels of complexity that interact
What happened in Brown’s experiment?
They severed the spinal cord connection with the brain in cats, but there was still the walking reflexive movement. This showed that the cortex is for higher level parts of action like planning
What does the lowest level of motor planning do?
The command of movement
What does the highest level of motor planning do?
The abstract representation of a goal
Where can learning occur in motor planning?
At any level depending on how new the action is
What is an affecter system?
Any part of the body that moves
What do we know about affecter systems?
There is a high level semantic representation in the brain and movement doesn’t depend on specific affecter systems
What are the cells in the motor cortex linked to?
Direction, not location
When were the motor neurons most activated in the monkey level exeperiment?
Downward direction
What is a population vector?
The summed activity across numerous cells in a motor region
What are mirror neurons?
The neurons that are activated when watching an action are the same as the ones activated when completing the action
Where are mirror neurons located?
The ventral premotor cortex
