Lecture 7 - Motor Units And Movement Flashcards
What does the somatic system consist of
Skeletal muscle and all the elements of the nervous system that controls them
What comprises the neural elements of the motor system
Upper motor neurones and lower motor neurones
Where are upper motor neurones found
In the brain
Where are lower motor neurones found
Their soma is in the brain stem and the cell bodies are in the ventral horn of the spinal cord
Function of upper motor neurones
Supply output to lower motor neurones and modulate their activity
Other than upper motor neurones, where else do lower motor neurones receive input from
Proprioceptors and interneurones
Function of LMNs
Command muscle contraction and form the final common pathway
What are LMNs comprised of
Alpha motor neurones
Function of the alpha motor neurones in LMNs
Innervate the bulk of fibres within a muscle that generate force
What do gamma motor neurones innervate
The muscle spindle
Where do axons of LMNs exit the spinal cord
In ventral roots
What do the ventral roots join with
Dorsal roots
What do joined ventral and dorsal roots form
A mixed spinal nerve
What is contained within a mixed spinal nerve
Sensory and motor fibres
Where do motor units belong
To a spinal segment
What are the spinal segments
Cervical (C1-8)
Thoracic (T1-12)
Lumbar (L1-5)
Sacral (S1-5)
Are motor neurones equally distributed through the spinal cord
Nope
What areas of the spinal cord are the most motor neurones found
The cervical enlargement (C3-T1) and the lumbar enlargement (L1-3)
What does the cervical enlargement supply
The upper limb
What does the lumbar enlargement supply
The lower limb
Motor neurones that innervate distal and proximal musculature are mainly found
In the lumbar-sacral segment
Motor neurones that innervate axial musculature are found
At all levels of the spinal cord
An alpha motor unit and all the skeletal muscle it innervates is collectively known as
A motor unit
What is the smallest component of the motor system
A motor unit
What does muscle contraction result from
The individual and combined action of motor units
The collection of alpha motor neurones that innervate a single muscle is known as
A muscle pool