Module 1: Movement & Posture Flashcards
Function of Basal Ganglia
- Inhibiting muscle tone throughout body by initiating inhibitory modulation of motor pathways through thalamus
- Selecting and maintaining purposeful motor activity via suppression of unwanted patterns of movement and coordination of slow and sustained contractions
2 Pathways of Basal Ganglia
- Direct: excite the motor cortex or to increase the motor activity
- Indirect: decreased activity of the cortical motor neurons and consequent suppression of unwanted/competing movement
Contents of Basal Ganglia (7 Structures)
- Caudate Nucleus = motor processing, procedural learning, associative learning and inhibitory control of action
- Striatum = facilitates voluntary movement
- Putamen = regulate movements and influence various types of learning
- Substantia Nigra (SN) = movement
- Subthalamic Nuclei (STN) = modulator of basal ganglia output
- Globus Pallidus Internus (GPi) = final output for both direct and indirect pathways
- Globus Pallidus Externus (GPe) = inhibitory control device
Functions of Thalamus
- Reinforces voluntary motor activity initiated by the motor cortex
- Serves as a relay station and synaptic integrating centre for sensory inputs
- Helps direct attention to stimuli of interest
Functions of Cerebellum
- Learns and executes instruction for movements
- Motor skills through repetitive training
- Ensures coordination of the force, extent and duration of muscle contraction
Functions of Brainstem
- Links the spinal cord and higher brain regions
- Cardiovascular centre
- Breathing/respiratory function
- Regulates Postural muscle reflexes
Contents of Brainstem
Midbrain, pons and medulla
Functions of Spinal Cord
- Link between brain and peripheral nervous system
- Integration of spinal reflexes
Spinal Cord Afferents and Efferents
- Sensory afferents (affected by environment) enter through dorsal root ganglion
- Motor efferents (which cause an effect in the environment) leave through ventral root
- Afferent and efferent fibres are enclosed together within a spinal nerve
Location of Primary Motor Cortex
= Anterior to central sulcus
Functions of Primary Motor Cortex
- Controls voluntary movement produced using skeletal muscles
- Motor cortex on each side of brain primarily controls contralateral muscles for voluntary movement
Homunculus Representation of Primary Motor Cortex
= body regions involved in movements of precision and fine control, such as face and hands, have a disproportionately large representation in the motor map
Location of Primary Somatosensory Cortex
= Posterior to central sulcus
Functions of Primary Somatosensory Cortex
- Site for initial processing and perception of somaesthetic (surface of body) and proprioceptive (body positions) inputs
Homunculus Representation of Somatosensory Cortex
= the area of cortex allocated to each body surface is proportional to the sensitivity of that part. As such, face, hands and arms have larger representation
Ascending Pathways
Includes: Spinocerebellar, dorsal column medial lemniscus, spinothalamic
= the ascending tract refers to the neural pathways by which sensory information from the peripheral nerves is transmitted to the cerebral cortex
Descending Pathways
Includes: Pyramidal and extrapyramidal tracts
= descending pathways are groups of myelinated nerve fibres that carry motor information from the brain or brainstem to effector’s muscles, via the spinal cord. Includes pyramidal (voluntary) and extrapyramidal (involuntary) tracts
5 Steps of Basic Reflex Arc
- Receptor
- Afferent pathway
- Integrating centre
- Efferent pathway
- Effector
4 Steps of Primary Circuit of Knee Jerk Reflex
- Hammer tap stretches the tendon
- Sensory receptors in the leg extensor muscle are stretched
- Afferent sensory neuron carries signal to the spinal cord where it has a monosynaptic interaction with the efferent motor neuron
- This conducts an action potential to synapse on the extensor muscle fibres, causing contraction
3 Steps of Secondary Circuit of Knee Jerk Reflex
- Afferent sensory neuron also excites a spinal interneuron
- This inhibits the motor neuron to the flexor muscle
- This means that the flexor muscle, which opposes the extensor muscle, will relax so that the contraction of the extensor can occur unopposed, leading to leg extension
5 Steps of Withdrawal Reflex
- Stepping on/touching something (i.e. a tack) stimulates sensory receptor (dendrites of pain sensitive neuron)
- Sensory neuron excited
- Within integrating centre (spinal cord), sensory neuron activates interneurons in several spinal cord segments
- Motor neurons excited
- Effectors (flexor muscles) contract and withdraw the limb
5 Steps of Crossed Extensor Reflex
- Stepping on/touching something (i.e. a tack) stimulates sensory receptor (dendrites of pain-sensitive neuron) in RIGHT FOOT
- Sensory neurons excited
- Within integrating centre (spinal cord), sensory neuron activates several interneurons
- Motor neurons excited
- (minor) flexor muscles contract and withdraw RIGHT LEG (via withdrawal reflex)
(major) effectors (extensor muscles) contract and extend LEFT LEG
Structure of Muscle Spindles
- Intrafusal fibres lie within a connective tissue capsule parallel to extrafusal muscle fibres (ordinary muscle fibres)
- Intrafusal fibres differ from extrafusal fibres by not having contractile elements in the central portion
Afferent Muscle Spindles
- Afferent (sensory) endings
- Primary (annulospiral) are wrapped around central portion of intrafusal fibres; these detect changes in muscle length and speed of muscle stretch
- Secondary (flowerspray) endings clustered at end-segments of intrafusal fibres, these detect only changes in muscle length