Medial Motor Systems Flashcards
what are the medial motor systems?
anterior corticospinal tract
vestibulospinal tracts (VSTs)
reticulospinal tracts
tectospinal tract
what is the function of the anterior corticospinal tract?
control of the bilateral axial and girdle muscles
what is the function of the vestibulospinal tract (VSTs)?
medial VST; positioning of the head and neck; lateral VST: balance
what is the function of the reticulospinal tract?
automatic posture and gait related movements
what is the function of the tectospinal tract?
coordination of head and eye movement (uncertain in humans)
what is the pathway for the anterior corticospinal tract?
from the primary motor cortex and supplementary motor area to the cervical and upper thoracic cord
what is the pathway for the vestibulospinal tract (VST)?
from the medial (medial and inferior vestibular nuclei) and lateral VST (lateral vestibular nucleus) to the cervical and upper thoracic cord of the medial VST and entire cord of the lateral VST
what is the pathway for the reticulospinal tract?
from the Pontine and medullary reticular formation to the entire cord
what is the pathway for the tectospinal tract?
from the superior colliculus to the cervical cord via decussation at the dorsal tegmentum in the midbrain
how do the medial motor systems descend?
ipsilaterally or bilaterally
where do medial motor systems terminate? what do these control?
on the interneurons projecting to both sides of the spinal cord
they control movements involving multiple bilateral spinal segments
what are the deficits from unilateral lesions of the medial motor systems?
no obvious deficits because the pathway come down ipsilaterally
what direction does the medial motor system move?
ipsilaterally or bilaterally
