Motor Areas Of Cerebellum Flashcards
What is the primary function of the motor-related areas of the cerebral cortex?
To produce motor commands
This involves planning and programming movements using different strategies.
What is required for effective voluntary movement?
Experience and learning
Effectiveness is dependent on how well movements are learned and practiced.
What are the two main components of planning a voluntary movement?
Motor planning and programming
This includes the sequence of movements, timing, and magnitude of individual components.
Which Brodmann area is known as the primary motor cortex?
Area 4
It plays a crucial role in executing voluntary movements.
Which areas are included in the motor cortex?
- Area 4: Primary motor cortex
- Area 6: Premotor areas
- Supplementary motor area (SMA)
- Premotor cortex (PMC)
Motor cortex encompasses both areas 4 and 6.
How many cell layers does the cerebral cortex have?
Six cell layers
Each layer has a specific type of neuron and function.
What is the primary role of the primary motor cortex?
Determining appropriate muscle force and coding movement direction
It ‘codes’ for force and uses tuning curves related to movement direction.
What is the corticospinal tract responsible for?
Innervating alpha and gamma motor neurons
Most axons cross in the medulla, leading to contralateral control.
What is the difference between the lateral and ventral corticospinal tracts?
- Lateral tract: Innervates motor neurons controlling distal muscles
- Ventral (anterior) tract: Innervates motor neurons controlling axial muscles
This distinction is important for understanding motor control of different body parts.
What is population coding in the context of motor cortex?
Groups of corticospinal tract neurons (CTNs) control movement direction
Each neuron has a ‘preferred’ direction but contributes to a range of movements.
What is the role of the supplementary motor area (SMA)?
Programming motor sequences and coordinating bilateral movements
It is also involved in mental rehearsal of movements.
What function do mirror neurons in the premotor cortex serve?
They respond during the execution and observation of goal-directed motor acts
These neurons enable understanding of actions performed by others.
What Brodmann areas make up the somatosensory cortex?
Areas 3, 1, and 2
These areas process sensory feedback related to touch and movement.
What is the function of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC)?
Integration of visual information with proprioceptive feedback
It plays a role in transforming visuospatial information into motor commands.
True or False: The posterior parietal cortex is strictly sensory.
False
It integrates sensory and motor information.
Fill in the blank: The _______ is responsible for processing information about object texture.
Area 1
Area 1 of the somatosensory cortex processes tactile information.
What are the consequences of damage to the posterior parietal cortex?
- Lack of awareness of body position
- Motor apraxia
Motor apraxia involves difficulty imitating hand positions or gestures.
Area 3 of somatosensory cortex is responsible for
3a- info from muscle spindles and gtos
3b- info from touch receptors
Area 2 of somatosensory cortex responsible for
Size and shape of object (stereognosis)
Somatosensory cortex input
Sensory cortex
Contralateral proprioceptive feedback via DCML pathway
Somatosensory cortex output
Motor cortex
