Motor Control & Motor Learning

Question 1

What are the five nuclei that forms the Basal Ganglia?

(CUP GPS)

Answer 1

Are composed of 5 nuclei that sits on the underside of the brain to control movement

1. Caudate nucleus
2. Putamen
3. Global Pallidus
4. Substantia nigra
5. Subthalamus nucleus

Question 2

What are the main functions of the Basal ganglia?

Answer 2

1. Initate and regulate of movement via the thalamus
2. Execute a skilled pattern (something you’ve learned) eg, driving a car, walking, tying your shoelace, playing a muscial instrument
3. Plays an important role in eye movement

Question 3

Primary Somatosensory cortex

somatosensory

Answer 3

denotes a sensation (such as pressure, pain, or warmth) that can occur anywhere in the body,

This is in contrast to a sense organ (such as sight, balance, or taste).

Is the part of the brain that receives all sensory input. Lesion in this area of the brain cause problem with proprioception and fine touch.

Question 4

What is the main function of association areas?

1. Dorsolateral prefrontal associative cortex?
2. Posterior association cortex?

Answer 4

1. Helps to integrate somatosensory and visual information….
   
   • The posterior association cortex helps us locate visual objects in space, process language, and modulate our attention.
   • anterior association cortex combines inputs from the other association cortices for complex brain functions, including motor planning, language production, and judgment.

Question 5

Define Motor Learning

Answer 5

“a set process associated with practice of experience leading to relatively permanent changes in skilled behaviour”

Question 6

In humans, damage to the basal ganglia would most likely lead to:

Select one:

a. Loss of voluntary control of movement

b. Muscle spasticity
c. Slow and uncoordinated movement
d. Difficulty initiating movement

Answer 6

Difficulty initating movement

Question 7

The primary functions of the primary motor cortex?

Answer 7

planning and execution of many complex motor activities

Question 8

Which part of the brain has control over the voluntary movements?

Answer 8

Primary motor cortex uses info it receives from the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and other centers in the CNS, as well as feedbacks from the periphery to bring movements under voluntary control.

The right side of the brain controls movement on the left side and vice versa.

Question 9

There is an area on the cerebral cortex that is dedicated to processing motor and sensory functions. What is this area called?

Answer 9

Motor homunculus and it is located on the posterior portion of the frontal lobe

Question 10

Which area of the brain initiates and plan movement, involves in initiating a group of muscles to act to perform a specific tasks.

Answer 10

primary motor cortex, supplementary motor and premotor areas. (all control voluntary movement)

If the mind says, I’m thristy….I want to go get a glass of water.

This message is sent to the supplementary and premotor areas which would plan that action.

Question 11

What is the main function of the cerebellum?

Answer 11

coordinate movements, especially fast movements, as well as maintaining balance

compares information of plan and output of movement to make necessary correction

Question 12

Name two symptoms that a person with a cerebellar dysfunction will likely present with.

Answer 12

impaired coordination in the arms or legs, inability to perform rapid alternating movements (movement is slowed)

Question 13

What are the primary functions of the brainstem?

Answer 13

provides support of the body against gravity by acting over the muscles of the neck, trunk and promimal muscles of the limbs

Generate gross, stereotyped movements working in association with cerebellum, basal ganglia and cortical regions

Comprises the reticular formation: area that receives and transmits many inputs from and to different brain areas.

Question 14

What is the primary functions of the spinal cord?

Answer 14

It controls peripheral movements.

Question 15

What is the Dynamic systems theory on motor learning?

What is the key difference between this theory and the closed loop theory?

Answer 15

1. there is an optimal pattern of movement that leads to the best outcome with the least energy cost
2. Skill acquisition will allow a movement pattern to occur with the least amount of energy (using less degrees of freedom)
3. (commands initiated by the environment, we act based on our perception of the environment involved, rather than controlled by the NS or through memory learning.)

Question 16

Dynamic Stability

Answer 16

Term used to describe the many structures (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) that need to constantly adjust to provide mobility and stability to this joint

Question 17

What is the function of the rotator cuff muscles?

Answer 17

Muscles that provide dynamic stabiity to the joint and control accessory movements of the humeral head

Question 18

Define scapulohumeral rhythem

Answer 18

In the upper extremity the term scapulohumeral rhythm is used to describe the coordinated activity of muscles acting on the scapula and the glenohumeral joint.

Question 19

Describe the sequence of events that occurs when the action potential reaches the neuromuscular junction.

Answer 19

Action potential reaches the neuromuscular junction

Acetylcholine is released and binds to receptors on the muscle fiber

Action potential propagates in the muscle fiber through the sarcolemma

It reaches the sarcoplasmic reticulum and Ca+ ions are released.

Ca+ binds to troponin, changing the configuration of the filament

A cross bridge can be formed and the filaments sliding causing muscle contraction.

Question 20

The Two Types of Movement in Motor Learning

Answer 20

• Reflex – inherited, automatic, short loop (quick)
• Learned – learned pattern through repetition, voluntary, involves many brain areas (skilled)

Question 21

Two Theories of Motor Learning

Answer 21

• The closed loop theory
• Dynamic systems theory

Question 22

The closed loop theory

• Based on information-processing model, what occurs in Stage 1 - Stimulus identification

Answer 22

Stimulus detection:

• inputs from the periphery – (sensory receptors pick up visual, vestibular, proprioception/kinaestheic info)

Stimulus interpretation:

• based on previous experience or similar situations (this smells like roses, you tie your shoes like this, move like this)

Stimulus selection:

• filtering information based on attentional focus (look at the milk jug, or get distracted by the boobs)

Question 23

Based on information-processing model, what occurs in

Stage 2 - Response selection. What influences the response?

Think of what occurs when someone has a vesticular dysfunction. They are unable to receive information from the inner ear to maintain balance. If they select to walk, what would happen?

Answer 23

• Based on previous experience (sensory input, interrupted, learned)
• Selection of movement plan

Question 24

Stage 3 - Response programing

What type of feedback would this stage need to correctly respond with the right program?

What if your proprioceptors were damaged?

Answer 24

Execution of the task
Use of feedback to adjust/adapt the motor response based on outcomes

Question 25

if sensory vestibular information is incorrect,

could that impact how the nervous system identify, select and program a correct motor response?

than sensory information cannot be processed/used so this stage would be affected. You need correct information to be able to form the correct response,

Answer 25

if sensory information cannot be processed/used so this stage would be affected. You need correct information to be able to form the correct response,

Question 26

Stage 4 – Feedforward

The premise for this stage are:

What does this stage rely on?

Answer 26

• Not all movement programs can be executed with planning
• Fast automatic motor programs use feedforward mechanisms
• Memory is accessed to initiate motor programs

This stage prepares the response based on previous experiences and memory (anticipation)
Will not be impacted if it is standing still…as it does not have any previous experiences to pull from.

Question 27

What are the Limitations of motor control theories?

Answer 27

• Capacity: limit of how much information can be processed at certain time
• Speed: limit of how fast information can be processed (series or parallel
• Distortion: information can be lost or distorted. Attention, concentration and memory will play a role in limiting distortion

Question 28

What are the two types of non-declarative memory?

Procedural memory

Emotional memory

Semantic memory

Episodic memory

Answer 28

Procedural and emotional memory are termed implicit memory.

Procedural memory: You perform task without really know how to describe it. eg, Like driving a car, riding a bike, writing

Emotional memory: relates to emotional responses to specific situation. Your heart races everytime you see a snake…

Question 29

What are they two types of declarative memory?

Answer 29

Semantic memory: relate to the ability to retain and recall facts. Example: learning the rules of a sport. The use of words, knowing how to use grammar,

Episodic memory: relates to recall of specific events; eg, personal details, or historical, what were you doing during 9-11 attack

Explicit memory (or declarative memory) is one of the two main types of long-term human memory. …Explicit memory involves conscious recollection, compared with implicit memory which is an unconscious, unintentional form of memory.

Explicit memory refers to cases of conscious recollection. When we remember our trip to Paris or recognize that some words occurred in a recent list, these are instances of explicit memory. In

Question 30

Sensory Skills

The sensory skills that are required for coordination are visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic discrimination.

Visual skills, such as eye-hand coordination and eye-foot coordination, use the information that a person sees to guide their movement when performing such activities as handwriting, catching a ball, or walking.

Auditory skills use hearing as a guide to developing speech and rhythm.

Tactile perception is related to how things feel physically. Tactile-motor skill development is important when learning how loosely or tightly to grasp a crayon or for finding a light switch in the dark.

Kinesthetic perception is related to movement. It is necessary for maintaining balance when riding a bicycle or determining which direction you should run to catch a ball.

Question 31

What are perceptual-motor skills?

How does it relate to skill acquistion and motor learning?

Give an example

Answer 31

Perceptual-motor development is a combination of sensory skills and motor skills that allow a person to synchronize body movements.hand eye coordination like

Eg, Matching a lid to a cup opening is a perceptual-motor skill that is difficult for many people.

Question 32

explain the difference between static versus dyanmic balance?

Give an example of static vs dynamic balance test

Answer 32

Static Balance

-ability to maintain a desired body posture or position when the body is stationary

Dynamic Balance

-ability to maintain a desired body posture or position when the body is moving.

Static Balance

– Stand on both feet extend your arm, hold an object of different weights, move your arms,

– Stand on one foot extend your arm, hold an object of different weights

• Dynamic Balance

– Walk across a low balance beam with or with object of different weights at slow or fast speeds

Question 33

What is feedforward ?

Answer 33

Anticipatory motor impulses sent before movement to prepare the musculoskeletalsystem for postural adjustments. The feedforward mechanism is thought to helpprepare muscles to perform required tasks.