Block 4 Flashcards
corticospinal tract
- important for movements requiring conscious, voluntary movement and for spontaneous acts of will
- also known as pyramidal tract
60% of fibers from corticospinal tract originate from ___ and project to ___, __, and ____
- motor cortical areas anterior to the central sulcus
- collateral to rubrospinal and reticulspinal tract and terminate in ventral horn
40% of fibers from corticospinal tract originate from___ and terminate _____
- somatosensory cortex posterior to the central sulcus
- in the dorsal horn
where do corticospinal tract fibers from frontal lobe originate?
primary motor cortex (Brodman’s area 4) and premotor cortex (BRODMAN’s area 6)
supplementary motor area (SMA)
-the superior and medial part of the premotor cortex
corticospinal tract fibers from parietal lobe originate from
primary somatosensory cortex, Brodman’s areas 3,1,and 2 and some from 5
course of the corticospinal tract
fibers leaving cortex–> corona radiata–> internal capsule (most travel in posterior limb)–> cerebral peduncle (occupy middle 2/3)–> split into longitudinal bundles as they course through pontine gray matter–> reunite in medulla to form pyramids
corticospinal fibers maintain a topography
-fibers destined for upper body parts are medial, nd fibers destined for lower body parts run laterally
corticobulbar pathways
-travel near corticospinal axons in the internal capsule and innervate cranial nerve nuclei controlling: movements of face, tongue, pharynx, and larynx
spinomedullary junction
area where most corticospinal fibers cross to opposite side in pyramidal decussation
the crossed corticospinal tract travels through the
lateral column
** it innervates neurons that control distal muscles
uncrossed corticospinal fibers travel in
ventral column
lesions to the corticospinal tract lead to
- sensory as well as motor deficits
- inability to RAPIDLY match tactile sensation to motor output
Most corticospinal tract fibers influence
Aa and Agamma motor neurons indirectly via interneurons, but some fibers from primary motor cortex end monosynaptically on Aa motor neurons of the hand!!!
lesions of the corticospinal tract would lead to loss of
irreversible loss of independent (fractionated) finger movements as well as ability to oppose thumb and fingers*** but they can still move hand as a whole
Parallel to the corticospinal tract, the corticoreticular fibers…
-modify reticulospinal projections and provide an alternative route for voluntary motor control
red nucleus
- caudal magnocellular division of this structure is the origin of the rubrospinal tract
- makes corticorubrospinal tract
do rubrospinal fibers cross midline? Travel in pyramids?
- rubrospinal efferents cross the midline
- rubrospinal efferents do not travel in the pyramids, they travel in the lateral column in the spinal cord
describe the sequence of voluntary movement steps
- a decision must be made that a movement is desired
- the starting position of the body and target must be determined from proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual or auditory signals
- movement must be planned and organized
- motor plan has to be initiated and executed
- mid-course corrections must be made
Integration of sensory information into a motor plan occurs via
-intracortical and thalamocortical circuitry
Intracortical connections: area 4
area 4 is innervated by primary somatosensory cortex according to homotopic organization
Intracortical connections: Area 6
is innervated by parietal association areas, directly and indirectly from prefrontal cortex:
Area 5 relays vestibular and proprioceptive info
Area 7 relays visual information from dorsal stream
parietal-temporal-occipital association cortex relays integrated somatosensory, visual, and auditory information
Thalamocortical information involves
-feedback from basal ganglia and cerebellum that the cortex uses to assist in planning
Initiation and execution of movement is commanded by
-primary motor cortex
electrical stimulation of area 6 evokes
-coordinated contractions of muscles at multiple joints
area 6 lesions produce
-apraxia: difficulty in executing complex movements
where are mirror neurons found?
- premotor areas
- they fire either when complex movements are performed or witnessed
Name the evidence that execution of movement occurs in the primary motor cortex
- increased blood flows to area 4 only when movement is actually performed
- neurons in area 4 begin to fire before contraction of the relevant muscle begins
- frequency of neuronal firing codes for the amount of force that is needed in the muscle
the net effect of supraspinal pathways on motor neurons is
inhibitory
the basal ganglia receives input from the _____ and feeds back through the
- receives input from entire cortical mantle
- feeds back through the ventral anterior and ventral lateral thalamic nuclei to the prefrontal/premotor cortices
the principle function of the basal ganglia is to
-provide a mechanism for the selection of adaptive motor programs for planning and initiating movement
corpus striatum
-caudate+ putamen+pallidum
striatum
caudate + putamen
palidum
-globus pallidus, GPi and GPe segments