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Behavioral Neuroscience > Final Exam - Motor Control > Flashcards

Final Exam - Motor Control Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the categories of movement?

A
  1. Reflexive: Level of spinal cord: knee jerk
  2. Rhythmic: Walking, chewing, swallowing
  3. Voluntary: See the box, step over it
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2
Q

What are reflexes?

A
  1. Involuntary coordinated patterns of movement
  2. Consistent, assuming external stimuli are constant
  3. Can be modulated by descending cortical commands
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3
Q

What are rhythmic movements?

A
  1. Chewing, swallowing, walking

2. Patterns contained on brain stem and spinal cord and triggered by external stimuli

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4
Q

What is voluntary movement?

A
  1. Goal-directed
  2. Externally or internally triggered
  3. Modulated by feedback (corrects already-initiated movement) and feed-forward control (anticipates events: used to control posture and movement, eg. catch a ball)
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5
Q

What is motor psychophysics?

A
  1. Brain represents outcome, not individual movements or muscles.
  2. Reaction time depends on complexity of information processing
  3. Speed of movement inversely related to accuracy
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6
Q

What is the motor hierarchy of the brain?

A
  1. Premotor areas
  2. Primary Motor cortex: M1, BA 4
  3. Cerebellum and basal ganglia modulate (projects to planning areas and premotor)
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7
Q

What is the motor hierarchy of the brain stem?

A
  1. Medial motor system: proximal musculature (trunk and torso: posture)
  2. Lateral motor system: distal musculature (arms and legs: more lateral systems)
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8
Q

What is the motor hierarchy of the spinal cord?

A
  1. Circuitry for reflexes and rhythmic movement

2. Modulated by higher areas

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9
Q

Explain the spinal control of movement.

A
  1. Motor neuron cell bodies clustered in spinal column.
  2. Neurons that control proximal muscles located medially
  3. Proprioceptive information transmitted up and down to affect posture
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10
Q

Dorsal horn takes ________.

A

Information in

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11
Q

Ventral horn takes ________.

A

Information out

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12
Q

In the brain stem, medial pathways control what and consist of what tracts?

A

Medial pathways control posture: Vestibulospinal, reticulospinal, tectospinal tracts

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13
Q

In the brain stem, lateral pathways control what and consist of what tracts?

A

Lateral pathways control goal-directed movement: Rubrospinal and corticospinal (from primary motor cortex: fine detailed motor control movements) tracts

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14
Q

Corticospinal tract axons originate from where?

A

Corticospinal tract axons originate from BA 4, BA 6 (motor planning areas), and BA 3 (most anterior), 1, 2 (sensory areas)

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15
Q

Where does decussation occur for cortical control of movement?

A

Decussate at pyramids of medulla to form lateral corticospinal tract (75% of axons)

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16
Q

What % doesn’t decussate and descends _______ as the ________.

A

25% do not decussate and descend ipsilaterally as the ventral corticospinal tract

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17
Q

What is the lateral corticospinal tract responsible for?

A

Voluntary motor control (typing)

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18
Q

What is the ventral corticospinal tract responsible for?

A

Involved, but less important in voluntary movement (has info that remains ipsilateral)

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19
Q

What is a reflex?

A
  1. Automatically produced adaptive movement
  2. Can extend over wide range of muscles
  3. Can be adapted to achieve particular goal
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20
Q

How are reflexes modulated?

A

By descending commands

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21
Q

What is an example of how reflexes are adaptive?

A

When holding onto a cup and kneeling down, perturbation will occur to allow excitation and inhibition of muscles (reflexes) to keep the cup balanced and prevent spillage.

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22
Q

What are muscle spindles for?

A

Sensor for reflexes

  1. Detect stretch of muscle fibers
  2. Increase firing rate when fiber elongates
  3. Detect change in muscle length and steady state length
  4. More sensitive when performing unpredictable tasks
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23
Q

What are Golgi Tendon Organs for?

A

Sensor for reflexes

  1. Junction between muscle and tendon
  2. Stretching tendon compresses nerve endings, causing them to fire (information for proprioception)
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24
Q

What do gamma motor neurons do?

A

Strengthen or relax muscle spindles.

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25
Q

Where are rhythmic stepping movements generated?

A

In spinal cord

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26
Q

Is sensory input required for locomotion?

A

Not required, but does modulate stepping movements.

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27
Q

Are supraspinal structures necessary for stepping?

A

No

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28
Q

Spinal circuits can be activated by what?

A

Descending commands

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29
Q

What is stepping divided into?

A

Swing and stance phases

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30
Q

What generates a burst of activity in extensor and flexor muscles?

A

Isolated spinal cord

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31
Q

Pool of neurons controlling extensor muscles does what to neurons controlling flexor muscles?

A

Inhibits them

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32
Q

Where are central pattern generators for locomotion found at?

A

L6 in spinal cord

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33
Q

What are central pattern generators?

A

Network of neurons capable of generating regular patterns of activity without sensory input (spontaneous bursting activity).

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34
Q

Central pattern generators influence what and is modified by what?

A
  1. Walking, summing, respiration

2. Output modified based on sensory input and descending commands.

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35
Q

What does the pattern depend on?

A

Properties of component neurons and synapses as well as connection between neurons.

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36
Q

Pattern is regulated by?

A
  1. Mutual inhibition (one excited = one inhibited)
  2. Rate of recovery from inhibition
  3. Mutual excitation (one excited = other excited)
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37
Q

What is the sensory input to locomotion?

A
  1. Somatosensory input (tactile from feet)
  2. Vestibular input (equilibrium)
  3. Visual input (obstacles)
  4. Commonly divided into proprioceptors and exteroceptors.
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38
Q

Descending control of walking from visual cortex (pathway).

A

Visual cortex -> visual signals -> motor cortex -> visual guidance -> spinal locomotor system -> limb movement

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39
Q

Descending control of walking from MLR (pathway).

A

Mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) -> Medial reticular formation (MRF) -> activation -> spinal locomotor system -> limb movement

40
Q

Descending control of walking from limb (pathway).

A

Afferent signals -> spinocerebellar pathway -> cerebellum -> brain stem nuclei -> adjustment -> spinal locomotor system -> limb movement

41
Q

Intensity of stimulation to MLR affects what?

A

Intensity of stimulation to mesencephalic locomotor region affects speed of walking.

  • Weak stimulation = walking
  • Strong stimulation = galloping
42
Q

Where does the brain stem pathway for the MLR descend from?

A

Medullary reticular formation via glutaminergic neurons of reticulospinal tract.

43
Q

When is the motor cortex more involved?

A

During difficult, coordinated or visually-guided movements.

44
Q

Cerebellar impairment results in what?

A

Ataxia: variations in speed and range of movements: abnormal coupling between limbs.

45
Q

What does the cerebellum do for cortical and subcortical influence?

A

Compares actual movements (proprioceptive information) with planned movements (information from CPGs) and makes appropriate corrections.

46
Q

What is involved in voluntary movement?

A
  1. Integration of visual and proprioceptive information.
  2. Goal-directed
  3. Can be internally/externally generated.
  4. Improves with practice and experience.
  5. Primary motor cortex (M1)
  6. Premotor areas
47
Q

What is somatotopic organization?

A

Layout of the body: mapping out what parts of the body use what: larger representation = more control

48
Q

Corticospinal neurons innervate what?

A

Multiple muscles (more designed to control movements)

49
Q

Premotor areas have direct projections to where?

A

Spinal cord

50
Q

Premotor areas control _____.

A

Complex patterns of behavior.

51
Q

Lateral premotor areas control what?

A

Externally-guided movements in response to sensation.

52
Q

Dorsal premotor area controls what?

A

Delayed movements and responds to non-spatial movement cues.

53
Q

Ventral premotor area controls what?

A

Location of objects to guide motion and conforming hand to shape of target.

54
Q

Medial premotor areas control what?

A

Internally-guied movements

55
Q

SMA controls what?

A

Supplementary motor area: bimanual movement and plans motor movements of learn sequences.

56
Q

Pre SMA controls what?

A

Presupplementary Motor area: Learning sequences of movements

57
Q

Subcortical input to motor areas follows what loop?

A

Primary motor cortex/Premotor cortex -> Globus pallidus/Thalamus -> pons -> cerebellum -> thalamus -> motor areas.

58
Q

How does plasticity in the motor cortex work?

A
  1. Motor cortex reorganized based on experience.
  2. Remove sensory input to M1 and reorganization occurs.
  3. Train particular motor task and brain area dedicated to that task increases.
59
Q

What does the corticospinal tract provide?

A

Direct excitatory connection to motor neurons.

60
Q

Indirect connections influence _____.

A

Larger-scale movements across joints.

61
Q

Corticospinal tract connects to?

A

Inhibitory interneurons, allowing incorporation of reflex movements.

62
Q

Sectioning tract blocks ____.

A

Fine motor control

63
Q

In experiment, what happens after sectioning of corticospinal fibers?

A

Monkey is unable to pick up dessert from hole (fine motor control).

64
Q

Motor planning alters ____ before actual movement.

A

firing pattern

65
Q

Population code indicates ___.

A

direction of movement.

66
Q

Firing dependent on ____.

A

Exerted force

67
Q

Neurons are ____ to joint moved and direction of movement.

68
Q

What are 3 inputs to the cerebellum?

A
  1. Goals
  2. Commanded action
  3. Feedback
69
Q

Output from cerebellum directed to ___.

A
  1. Motor planning and execution regions of cortex
  2. Brain stem
  3. Spinal cord
70
Q

Damage to the cerebellum affects ___.

A

Spatial and temporal accuracy of movement.

71
Q

Cerebellum has outer ____ matter and inner ____ matter.

A

Outer grey matter and inner white matter.

72
Q

Cerebellum consists of what 4 deep nuclei?

A
  1. Fastigial
    2 & 3. Interposed (Globus and Emboliform)
  2. Dentate
73
Q

The cerebellum is connected to the brain stem by what?

A

Cerebellar peduncles (ways to get information into and out of brain).

74
Q

Anatomy of cerebellar nuclei from lateral to medial.

A

Dentate -> Emboliform -> Globus -> Fastigial

75
Q

Describe the cerebellar lobe: Flocculonodular

A
  1. Oldest part of cerebellum
  2. Input from vestibular nuclei (located in brain stem)
  3. Balance and eye movements
76
Q

Describe the cerebellar lobe: Vermis

A
  1. Runs down midline of cerebellum.
  2. Auditory, visual, somatosensory input form head and trunk (medial aspect).
  3. Posture, locomotion, and gaze direction.
77
Q

Describe the cerebellar lobe: Intermediate Hemisphere

A
  1. Somatosensory input from limbs (proprioceptive information).
  2. Projects to corticospinal tract and controls distal limb movement.
78
Q

Describe the cerebellar lobe: Lateral Hemisphere

A
  1. Interacts with cortex

2. Motor planning, cognitive tasks (timing)

79
Q

Vestibular inputs are found in what region of the cerebellum?

A

Medial (vermis area)

80
Q

Cerebellar output starting at the lateral hemisphere (cerebrocerebellum)

A

Lateral hemisphere -> Dentate nucleus -> Motor and Premotor cortices (motor planning)

81
Q

Cerebellar output starting at the Intermediate hemisphere

A

Intermediate hemisphere -> Interposed nuclei -> Lateral descending systems (Motor execution)

82
Q

Cerebellar output starting at the Vermis

A

Vermis -> Fastigial nuclei -> Medial descending system (motor execution)

83
Q

Cerebellar output starting at the vestibulocerebellum.

A

Vestibulocerebellum -> vestibular nuclei (balance and eye movement)

84
Q

Distal motor control: intermediate projections

A

Intermediate hemisphere projects to contralateral red nucleus, thalamus, and motor cortex.

85
Q

Distal motor control influences ____.

A

Descending corticospinal tract to ipsilateral side.

86
Q

What is the loop important for learning and where?

A
  1. Lateral Hemisphere

2. Premotor - Cerebello - rubrocerebellar (red nucleus)

87
Q

The lateral hemisphere receives input from ____.

A

Cerebral cortex

88
Q

Lesions in the lateral hemisphere disrupts ____.

A

Planning and lengthens reaction time

89
Q

What cognitive functions are produced by the lateral hemisphere?

A
  1. Timing (100s of milliseconds)
  2. Language (verbal fluency, word association)
  3. Problem solving
90
Q

What are prism goggles used for?

A
  1. Used for motor learning. Tests eye-hand coordination in dart-throwing. (normal subjects should adapt to prism in 10-30 throws)
  2. Patients with cerebellar damage fail to adapt to prisms.
  3. After taking off goggles, need to readjust again.
91
Q

Subjects with damage to lateral interposed nucleus fail to ____.

A

Learn eye blink conditioning. (tone plays, puff of air hits eye, supposed to close eyes)

92
Q

What are the 3 symptoms of cerebellar damage?

A
  1. Hypotonia: decreased resistance to passive limb movement
  2. Ataxia: abnormal execution of voluntary movement
  3. Intention tremor: tremor at end of voluntary limb movement
93
Q

Cerebellar lesions to the vermis and fastigial nuclei does what?

A
  1. Disrupted control of trunk muscles during sitting or standing.
  2. Possibly slurred speech
94
Q

Cerebellar lesions to the intermediate cerebellum or interposed nuclei does what?

A

Limb tremor

95
Q

Cerebellar lesions to the lateral cerebellum does what?

A
  1. Delays initiating movement

2. Poor coordination across multiple joints

Behavioral Neuroscience (9 decks)

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