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PSYC midterm 2 > Action > Flashcards

Action Flashcards

1
Q

What is action

A

Change in the environment

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2
Q

3 types of actions

A

Somatic:
Autonomic
Actions internal to the CNS

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3
Q

Example of somatic action

A

Skeletal muscles: move limbs

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4
Q

Example of autonomic action

A

Smooth muscles: change blood pressure, digest food
Cardiac muscles: heartbeat
Endocrine glands: secrete hormones
Exocrine glands: secrete sweat, saliva, etc..

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5
Q

Actions internal to the CNS

A

Update memory, switch tasks, etc…
Update path you take to school → update your address in your memory → action in brain

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6
Q

Problem solved by action

A

How to effect change in the world

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7
Q

Importance of action

A

Necessary to achieve goals (eat, drink, reproduce, survive, etc…)

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8
Q

Challenge of action

A

The inverse problem: determining what actions to take in order to achieve goals
Working from the goal backwards

We are hungry (goal) → have to figure out what actions to take to get there

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9
Q

Where is supplementary motor cortex located relative to primary motor cortex and premotor cortex

A

rostral to primary motor cortex and dorsal to premotor cortex

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10
Q

Motor system hierarchy

A

Start off with a high level goal and work your way down to which specific muscles to activate → opposite from perception

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11
Q

What does the motor equivalence writing task show

A

pattern/form of strokes were mostly the same between conditions

Using the same upper levels of hierarchy and replacing the lower ones

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12
Q

Inverse model of motor control explained

A

Current position & desired position → motor commands

Start with goals then determine what to do to end up there

Used to create a motor plans

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13
Q

Do we usually do the inverse model or the forward model first

A

Use the inverse to formulate plan then use the forward model to evaluate it

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14
Q

Forward models of motor control explained

A

Current position & motor commands → predicted position

Given where my hand is now and the muscle movements I’m going to take → where is my hand going to end up

Used to evaluate motor plans and/or actions
Know what the results should be and compare that to what actually happened

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15
Q

Explain how the inverse and forward model connect and provide the steps

A

Start with a desired behaviour and use the inverse model to get a motor command
A copy of that motor command gets send to a forward model which takes motor command and current state to predict what will happen

Can compare what actual happened to what we predicted

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16
Q

What is an efferent copy

A

internal copy of a motor command

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17
Q

What is feedforward control and an example

A

Motor command sent to muscle
Faster, but less accurate
Uses inverse model
Have a desired state and come up with a motor common send it to the muscles and hope that it works
Removing hand from hot pot or throwing a ball

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18
Q

What is feedback control and an example

A

Motor command sent to muscle
Actual state compared to desired state
Adjustments made based on errors
Catching a ball
Picking up a coffee cup
Slower, but more accurate
Uses inverse and forward model

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19
Q

Does the feedback control have feedforward within it

A

Yes

Compares what happens to what we wanted to happen

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20
Q

Does feedforward control use inverse or forward model

A

Inverse

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21
Q

Does feedback control use inverse or forward model

A

Both

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22
Q

What is the function of the premotor cortex

A

Involved in selecting goals and planning actions at a conceptual level
- want to quench thirst so we need to drink from a cup

involved in motor planning

Particularly when plans are driven by external stimuli → picking up a cup to quench thirst

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23
Q

What area is involved in the highest level of motor planning

A

premotor cortex

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24
Q

What is motor planning

A

Planning of voluntary actions begins at a conceptual level based on goals

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25
What is the readiness potential and its use
Planning in premotor cortex (contralateral hemisphere) occurs before voluntary movement activation precedes awareness You could guess what hand someone will move before it does by looking at which hemisphere is activated
26
How can we plan for multiple actions
We can come up with an initial motor plan for both actions if we aren't sure what we are going to do yet
27
Planning for multiple actions experiment
Spatial cues: Monkey is cued with two possible targets (red & blue) Memory period: Cues are removed, monkey seems to prepare both actions → remembers both Color cue: Monkey is cued with actual target, and now prepares single action → you will be doing red action Go signal: Monkey initiates action Monkey brain shows activation for both motor plans
28
Function of mirror neurons
neurons in premotor cortex represent actions at a conceptual level → represents abstract idea of breaking a peanut
29
Mirro neuron experiment
Record a money performing different tasks with a peanut: Breaking a peanut, Watching and hearing someone else break a peanut, Watching someone else break a peanut, Hearing someone else break a peanut Neuron fire in all cases because thee neurons represent the abstract idea of breaking a peanut
30
Function of supplementary motor cortex
Involved in selecting goals and planning actions at a conceptual level Particularly when plans involve internally generated sequences of actions - tying shoes - Playing a song on the piano - dancing - pitching a baseball
31
Results from recording SMA neuron during different motor sequences
Fires in anticipation of a particular sequence → push turn pull sequence but not the push pull turn sequence fire before a particular action in a particular sequence → fires before the push action in the pull, push, turn sequence This neuron fires before the third action in every sequence
32
Learned vs cued sequences when SMA is inhibited
Unable to perform learned sequences from memory without SMA Without the SMA the animal could perform the action when it was told which action to perform at each step
33
Function of primary motor cortex
represents directional movements of body parts, not specific muscle actions Move arm forward
34
Difference between SMA and premotor cortex
SMA handles learned sequences of action Premotor cortex handles cued sequences
35
Where do signals from motor cortex travel
Signals from motor cortex travel directly to lower motor neurons and lower circuit neurons in brainstem and spinal cord → synapse on other side of the body
36
Where is the primary motor strip located
back of frontal lobe --> pre central gyrus
37
How are motor and somatosensory maps similar
Each hemisphere of cortex controls the contralateral side of the body Bottom of body is represented at the top cortical magnification is shown in both
38
What part of the cortex is involved in directional selectivity
Primary motor cortex
39
Is directional selectivity based on a visual cue
No, it is about the direction of movement
40
Explain what a tuning curve for directional selectivity represents
Plot average response rate for different angles of movement for a single neuron It is quite broad --> → doesn’t only fire to movement in 180 degree direction
41
How do we create a population vector from tuning curves and what do the length and direction of the lines mean
Record two neurons, which each have a tuning curve → combine the representation Direction of vector is determined by preferred direction Length represents how much it is firing When we add them together, the resulting vector points in the direction the animal moves
42
What does a population vector do
Accurately represents actual movement direction for multiple neurons by adding up the individual vectors
43
Is the motor cortex involved in planning
Still plans for directional movement a bit
44
Do population vectors represent motor plans?
Yes If a cue is presented to the animal, After 100 or 200 ms the population vector starts to form in motor cortex → animal hasn’t move yet The direction of the population vector predicts the direction of the forthcoming movement
45
Function of basal ganglia
Motor intentions Help to select, initiate, and inhibit movements through cortico-basal ganglia- thalamocortical loops Critical to dopamine-based reinforcement learning (learning when to act from reward)
46
What kinds of control do the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops participate in
Participate in motor control, cognitive control, and emotional control
47
Path of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Start in the cortex, pass through the basal ganglia, then the thalamus and back to the cortex
48
Direct pathway in cortico-basal ganglia- thalamocortical loops
1. Cortex 2. Striatum 3. Globus pallidus pars interna (GPi)/Substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) 4. Thalamus 5. Cortex
49
Indirect pathway in cortico-basal ganglia- thalamocortical loops
Cortex Striatum Globus pallidus pars externa (GPe ) Subthalamic nucleus (STN) Globus pallidus pars interna (GP i)/Substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) Thalamus Cortex
50
Baseline activation in cortico-basal ganglia- thalamocortical loops
Before the direct or indirect systems are engaged, the GPi/SNr have high tonic (baseline) activity, inhibiting thalamus → thalamus has little output to cortex
51
What pathway does action initiation use in cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Direct pathway
52
What pathway does action inhibition use in cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Indirect pathway
53
Action initiation steps in cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Direct pathway: 1. Motor plan forms in motor cortex 2. Motor cortex excites striatum 3. Striatum inhibits GPi/SNr → lowers their tonic firing rate 4. GP/SN disinhibits thalamus → less inhibition 5. Thalamus excites cortex → increases activity of motor cortex until it generates the action This aids selection and initiation of action
54
How do we determine if we are going to activate the indirect or the direct pathway of the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Reinforcement learning
55
Action inhibition steps in cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Indirect pathway: 1. Motor cortex excites striatum 2. Struatum inhibits GPe 3. GPe disinhibits STN 4. STN excites GPi/SNr 5. GPi/SNr reinhibits thalamus 6. Thalamus tells motor cortex “not yet” More steps in indirect pathway make it slower to act than direct pathway Happens when you need to wait for a go signal
56
How does reinforcement learning work in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops
Unexpected rewards generate dopamine signals from the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) to the striatum Dopamine release excites the direct pathway (via D1 receptors) and inhibits the indirect pathway (via D 2 receptors) This allows modification of behavior based on reward → more based on something that is better than expected
57
What happens when you damage the cerebellum
movement isn’t as smooth/coordinated
58
Does the cerebellum have white matter and grey matter What about sulk and gyri
yes Grey matter on the outside
59
What types of cells are found in the cerebellum
Granule cells: 50 billion (¾ of all neurons in the brain) Purkinje cells: 200 000 inputs per cell → lots of dendrites -> lots of connections
60
Function of cerebellum
Critical to performing movements in a smooth and coordinated way
61
How is the cerebellum involved in motor coordination
Uses forward model to predict results of motor commands (implement feedback control) Uses differences between actual results and predicted results for: Online error correction → tweak it as we go Motor learning → next time it will be better from the beginning Feedback control to make movements better
62
How does the cerebellum compare our actual actions to our predicted actions
Motor command in primary motor cortex gets sent to spinal cord so that you can execute it → efferent copy of command goes to cerebellum Something happens from taking the action and meanwhile the cerebellum uses forward model to predict what should happen next These two things are compared → if there is an error → it gets sent back through the thalamus to primary motor cortex to make adjustments
63
Is feedback control fast and is it accurate
Feedback takes time The faster you go, the less time you have for feedback → Less feedback leads to greater error This implies a speed/accuracy tradeoff
64
What does Fitts's law describe
describes the speed/accuracy trade off for pointing motions
65
What does the T, a , b , w, and D represent
Time, T, for pointing motion depends on: Distance to target, D Width of target, W Initiation time for limb, a Relative pace of limb, b
66
If you want to reach the target in less time what would happen to W
target would have to be wider --> less accurate
67
If you want to reach a narrower target what would happen to T
T would increase --> less speed
68
What would happen if you increased D in fits law. What about decreased D
increased D would be faster and decreased D would be slower
69
How is the cerebellum involved in cognitive coordination
adding numbers in your head, figuring out your next move in chess playing chest
70
Where do primary motor cortex axons go to?
Axons from primary motor cortex synapse directly on lower motor neurons and local circuit neurons → crosses over
71
Can the spinal cord generate movements on its own?
yes
72
What is a lower motor neuron
cell body in spinal cord and axons travel out to the muscles
73
What is local circuit neuron
in spinal cord but doesn’t synapse on muscle → figures out which muscles are going to be active
74
Is the brain involved in the patellar reflex
No
75
What is the flexor withdrawal reflex circuit used for
Shifting weight if you step on something sharp
76
Is conscious control (inhibition) of a flexion reflex possible:
Yes, if the intention not to respond was prepared in advance, so that a signal could be sent to the reflex pathway in the spinal cord before the stimulus occurred, thus inhibiting the reflex when the stimulus did occur
77
What are central pattern generators
Local circuits in spinal cord: Can control complex movements → walking Can respond to environmental changes Do not require higher-level input Still need brain to tell you when to start
78
Central pattern generators experiment explained
Movement is still possible following resection (cut) of the spinal cord before the hind legs → no signals from brain getting to hind legs Circuitry exists within the spinal cord to move the legs
79
How are muscles activated
Lower motor neurons synapse directly on muscle fibers Release of neurotransmitter causes muscle fibers to contract
80
What are muscle spindles
Muscle spindles (sensory cells) detect changes in muscle length and send them back to spinal cord via dorsal root ganglia
81
Does one axon only innovate one muscle fibre
One signal axon can innervate many muscle fibres → cause them to contract For limbs with finer motor control, each motor neuron innervates fewer muscle fibers → leads to cortical magnification
82
How is multi unit recording done in an awake animal
Electrodes implanted in brain and a mount is on the head → plug into the mount record the brain activity of the animal
83
What is intracellular electrical recording
Electrode into individual neurons → in vitro Voltage clamp/Current clamp Patch clamp
84
What is extracellular recording and single unit vs multi-electrode recording
Electrode adjacent to individual neurons Records field potentials Single-unit recording → record from a single neurons Multi-electrode recording → record from lots of neurons simultaneously
85
How is the spatial and temporal resolution for single unit or multiunit recording:
Great spatial resolution → Because you are recording from a single neuron Great temporal resolution → when activity occurs
86
Challenges to single unit or multiunit recording
How to find “right” neurons How does this neuron relate to other 100 billion neurons?
87
What are some of the larger considerations of animal experimentation
Pain and suffering Lack of consent Killing living creatures Interspecies differences (Fruit fly, Mouse, Macaque) Benefit to humanity Necessity for knowledge
88
Example of a brain-machine interface
Reach and grapes by people with tetraplegia using neurally controlled robotic arm
89
How do we use brain machine interfaces
Two microelectrode arrays are implanted into the left motor cortex (in motor strip) to detect neuron signals Neuron signals pass to connectors, attached to the skull (mount) Amplified signals are passed to a Brain-machine interface which interprets them and passes them onto the arm Interface operates robotic arm in real time
90
How do we decode the primary motor cortex activity to use it for the brain-machine interface
Can learn the relationship between pattern of neural activity and intended action → use this to convert the motor intentions into commands for the robotic arm

PSYC midterm 2 (6 decks)

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