Chapter 11: Motor Control and Plasticity Flashcards
Spinal Reflexes
Connections between sensory information via dorsal root and motor output via ventral root.
What is an example of a spinal reflex?
Simple knee jerk
Is motor activity a simple movement?
No, it is a complex, sequential patterns of behavior
What controls motor activity?
Constant feedback and anticipation from the brain.
What are the 5 motor systems?
- Skeletal system (muscles)
- Spinal cord
- brainstem
- Primary and adjacent motor cortex
- Non-cortical brain regions
Electromyography (EMG)
Records the muscles AP like they do with neurons.
Feedforward Control
The command specifies the response.
What is an example of feedforward control?
Gastrocnemius Contraction
Feedback Control
The command specifies a desired state.
How do muscles control the skeletal system?
They contract, which pulls the two ends of a joint closer together.
Muscles can create force only through…
Contraction
What reverses the contraction of muscles?
Relaxation
Antagonists
Muscles that oppose each other
How does muscle innervation work?
- Motoneurons release ACh at motor end plates which activate nACh receptors
- AP is created
- AP enables sodium and calcium to enter the muscle cell.
- The changes in levels causes actin and myosin to contract the muscle.
Motor Unit
Motoneuron and all the fibers it innervates
Low Ratio
One motoneuron innervates very few muscle fibers
Low ratio leads to…
fine motor control
High ratio leads to…
Massive muscles
Fast Twitch Fibers
React quickly and strongly but tire quickly
What are fast twitch fibers used for?
Activities where muscle contraction changes frequently
Slow Twitch Fibers
Slower response but do not tire as quickly
What is an example of slow twitch fibers?
Posture
What two things do slow twitch fibers have?
- low threshold
- weak contraction
Proprioception
The sensory system for your muscles, tendons, and joints.
What is proprioception crucial for?
knowing where your body is in space
What are the two major parts of proprioception?
- Golgi tendon organs
- Muscle spindles
Intra fusal Muscle Fibers
Important for sensing muscle stretch
Extra Fusal Muscle Fibers
Produce the force of contraction
Primary Sensory Endings
Respond to changes in muscle length
Secondary Sensory Endings
Provide information about state of muscle stretch
Gamma Motor Neuron
Contracts intra fusal fibers to change range of sensitivity
Golgi Tendon Organ
Monitors muscle tension via contractions of the muscle
Where is the golgi tendon organ located?
Tendon (sensor nerve endings)
What can the golgi tendon organ detect?
Overloads (prevents tearing and damage)
What needs to be present for muscle spindles to work?
Intra fusal muscle fibers
What happens if the intrafusal muscle fibers are not present?
Would no longer be able to signal changes in stretch because the spindle would not be stretched anymore.
Some reflexes are entirely…
Spinal
Spinal Reflexes
The spinal cord is responsible for some rhythmic patterns of motor behavior
What is an example of a spinal reflex?
Basic parts of walking
Central Pattern Generator
Neural circuit is responsible for generating the basic rhythms
Brainstem
Direct control over motor output of cranial nerves
How are muscles controlled if they are not controlled through the brainstem?
Motor neurons in the spinal cord.