Chapter 11: motor skills and action

Question 1

Basal ganglia

Answer 1

Is important in movement and planning/starting movement. Information in the basal ganglia is processed via the direct and indirect route:
- Direct route: has an activating effect.
- Indirect route: has an inhibitory effect.

Question 2

Parkinson’s

Answer 2

In Parkinsons there is a degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the sunstantia nigra, which results in a deficiency of dopamine in the striatum. This causes the direct pathway to be less active and the indirect pathway to be more active, thus inhibiting more movements (hypokinesia).

Question 3

Hypokinesia

Answer 3

Lack of movement.

Question 4

Huntington’s

Answer 4

Involves loss of neuron in the striatum, which results in an underactive indirect pathway, which causes more movements to occur (hyperkinesia).

Question 5

Hyperkinesia

Answer 5

An excess of involuntary movements.

Question 6

Cerebellum

Answer 6

Mainly involved in fine-tuning movements and predicting movements. Not the generation of movements.

Question 7

Cerebellar ataxia

Answer 7

Uncoordinated movements

Question 8

Dysmetria

Answer 8

Lack of coordination in the movement when making eye and hand movements, people overshoot their target or stop too early.

Question 9

3 aspects for smooth muscle control

Answer 9

1. Movements in the central nervous system must be represented in motor programs.
2. Sensory information must be used during movement.
3. Agency: the feeling that you are the one who causes the movement.

Question 10

Mirror neurons

Answer 10

Active when performing a movement and seeing someone else perform this movement. The posterior parietal cortex is seen as part of the mirror neuron system. Mirror neurons are part of the system that creates empathy.

Question 11

Forward model

Answer 11

We make predictions of the consequences of an action can be made on the basis of an internal model of the motor system. This can explain why we don’t feel ticklish when we touch ourselves, but we do when someone else touches us.

Question 12

Body schema

Answer 12

A representation of the body that is used in controlling movements. This is not consciously accessible.

Question 13

Peripersonal space

Answer 13

The space around the body, used in trying to avoid something that is thrown at you or just not standing too close to another person.

Question 14

Apraxia

Answer 14

The inability to perform specific predifined acitons or to carry out learned and purposeful movements. Caused by damage to the left parietal lobe, right parietal regions, temproal and frontal cortex.

Question 15

Ideomotor apraxia

Answer 15

Being unable to make meaningful movements while knowing what movement would be appropriate/recognising the purpose of a certain tool. People form a concept of the action to be performed, allowing them to recognise the function of certain tools, but not to use them correctly.

Question 16

Ideational apraxia

Answer 16

People show impairments in making meaningful motor sequences and using tools, while the imitation of movement is relatively intact.

Question 17

Damage implications

Answer 17

• Frontal areas: disruption of movement production.
• Dorsal brain regions/superior parietal lobe: impairments in the imitation of meaningful gestures.
• Inferior parietal cortex: disruption in mimicking of object use.
• Temporal lobe/ventral pathway: severe apraxia.

Question 18

Alien hand syndrome

Answer 18

Involuntary, seemingly autonomic movements of the affected hand that go against the patients verbally reported intention.