motor control

Question 1

What are the three levels of the motor control functional hierarchy?

Answer 1

• High (strategy): association neocortex, basal ganglion
• Middle (tactics): motor cortex, cerebellum
• Low (execution: brain stem, spinal cord

Question 2

How is the brain connected to the spinal cord?

Answer 2

• Lateral pathways control voluntary movements of distal muscles: under direct cortical control
• Ventromedial pathways control posture and locomotion: under brain stem control

Question 3

What is Huntington’s disease?

Answer 3

• Huntington’s disease, involves hyperkinesia with dementia and personality disorders
• It is hereditary, rare 5-10/100,000, progressive and fatal
• characteristic chorea: spontaneous, uncontrolled, rapid flicks and major movements with no purpose
• caused by profound loss of caudate, putamen and globus pallidus
• so loss of the ongoing inhibitory effects of the basal ganglia