Motor Control

Question 1

What is the key to movement?

Answer 1

Prediction

Question 2

What type of neurons actually make movement happen?

Answer 2

Central and peripheral motor neurons

Question 3

What part of the brain controls the movement that is ment to happen?

Answer 3

Motor and pre-motor cortex

Question 4

What part of movement selects the right movement at the right time?

Answer 4

Basal ganglia

Question 5

What is the basal ganglia?

Answer 5

Collection of heavily interconnected nuclei in the brain

Question 6

What is a common cause of movement disorders?

Answer 6

Damage to the basal ganglia

Question 7

What are hypokinetic movement disorders (generally) caused by?

Answer 7

Low dopamine

Question 8

What are hyperkinetic movement disorders (generally) caused by?

Answer 8

High dopamine

Question 9

What is the rate model for how basal ganglia affect movement?

Answer 9

Changes in firing rate determine the degree of thalamic inhibition and therefore the amount of movement possible

Question 10

What is Parkinson’s disease clinically dominated by?

Answer 10

Lack of movement (Bradykinesia)

Question 11

What happens in Bradykinesia?

Answer 11

Lack of dopamine causing excitatory control of the basal ganglia -> increased inhibition of the thalamus and therefore less movement

Question 12

What is hemibalismus and what is it caused by?

Answer 12

Flinging movement of one side of the body, typically caused by a sub thalamic nucleus stroke

Question 13

What is dyskinesia?

Answer 13

Complication of Parkinson’s causing lots of excess movement

Question 14

What is deep brain stimulation?

Answer 14

Electrode inserted into the sub thalamic nuclei

Question 15

What firing frequency is seen in Parkinson’s?

Answer 15

Beta frequency prominence

Question 16

What is deep brain stimulation used to treat?

Answer 16

Dyskinesia

Question 17

What two things are used for treatment of Parkinson’s?

Answer 17

Levodopa and deep brain stimulation

Question 18

What is movement?

Answer 18

Change from one stable sensory state to another stable sensory state

Question 19

What do you need for movement to happen?

Answer 19

Turn down the current sensory state
Accurate prediction of future sensory state
Rate the importance of the movement
Be able to stabilise the new state

Question 20

What is abnormal in Parkinson’s?

Answer 20

The initiation, scaling and persistence of movements

Question 21

What causes the issues with movement initiation in Parkinson’s?

Answer 21

High beta -> current sensory state being too stable

Question 22

What is wrong in Tourette’s syndrome?

Answer 22

Pathologically low beta

Question 23

What does the low beta frequency in Tourette’s syndrome mean?

Answer 23

Current sensory state is unstable, so new unwanted patterns of movement can arise and happen without will

Question 24

How do you treat Tourette’s?

Answer 24

Dopamine receptor antagonists which increase beta activity

Question 25

What is the possible cause of a cerebellar tremor?

Answer 25

Problem with inappropriate response to sensory feedback coming into the cerebellum

Question 26

What is the issue in chorea and dystonia?

Answer 26

Core control of movement with noise added on top -> a different level of movement control problem