L16: Motor Control 2 Flashcards
What is the posterior parietal cortex?
higher brain region that encodes intentions/movement rather than how we execute movement
What is the primary motor cortex?
brains movement centre, spinal cord uses electrical impulses to control muscle movement
List characteristics of dorsolateral motor pathways
- one direct tract that synapses in brain stem
- terminate in one contralateral spinal segment
- distal muscles
- limb movements
List characteristsics of ventromedial motor pathways
- one direct tract that synapses in brain stem
- more diffuse
- bilateral innervation
- proximal muscles
- posture and whole body movement
What are muscles?
smallest unit of motor activity
What is the motor unit?
a single motor neuron and all individual skeletal muscle fibres it innervates
What do muscles do?
apply force in only one direction
what do flexors do?
bend/flex a joint
What do extensors do?
straighten/extend it
What are synergistic muscles?
muscles that act for some movement
What are antagonistic muscles?
muscles that work in opposition
What is an extrafusal muscle fibre in skeletal muscles?
alpha motor neurons that are responsible for generating muscular forces to control movement
What are intrafusal muscle fibres in skeletal muscles?
specialised sensory organs, gamma motor neurons
What are muscle spindles?
- embedded in muscle tissue
- detect change in muscle length
- keeps tension on the middle to keep it responsive to changes in the length of extrafusal muscle
What is alien hand syndrome?
one hand functions involuntraily with victims unaware of its actions
