Motor tracts Flashcards
upper motor neuron
arise and are contained within the cerebral cortex or brain stem
axons travel in desscending tracts and will synapse with LMN or interneurons of the spinal tract
Corticospinal tract, and the corticobulbar tract
Lower motor neurons
Directly innervate the skeletal muscle
Gamma motor neuron: medium sized myelinated, project to intrafusal fibers in muscle spindle
alpha motor neuron: large cell bodies and large myelinated axons, project to extrafusal skeletal muscle
Ex: Peripheral nerves and cranial nerves
Corticospinal tract pathway
Direct pathway ( from cerebral cortex to spinal cord and out to muscles)
Medial corticospinal tract: postrual muscles (not clinically significant 10 percent of fibers)
Lateral corticospinal tract: limb muscles and fractination
-90percent of fibers
Pathway:
-Cell bodies arise in the cortex
-Descends from the cortex through the posterior limb of the internal capsule
-Continues through the cerebral peduncles, anterior pons, Pyramids
-fibers deccusate in the pyramids in the lower medulla (decusation of the pyramid)
descends the lateral column of the spinal cord and will synapse on the LMN
Voluntary motor control
Primary Motor cortex (brodmanns area 4)
- Precentral gyrus
- initiates voluntary mvmt
- other supplementary motor area and premotor cortex give input to the primary motor cortex as well
similar somatotopographic distribution to somatosensory: Feet medial, arms hand middle, face is lateral
How does the corticospinal tract ascend from the cortex and what is its blood supply in this structure
Posterior limb of the internal capsule
- anterior=Arms
- posterior= legs
blood supply: lenticulostriate arteries
What travels in the sublenticular limb of the internal capsule
Auditory radiation
What travels in the Retrolenticular limb of the internal capsule
Optic radiation
Where does the Corticospinal tract travel in the midbrain and whats its blood supply
Posterior Cerebral A (P1)
and in the middle 1/3 of the Cerebral peduncle
Where does the corticospinal tract travel in the pons and what is its blood supply
Found in the anterior pons with the pontine nucleus and fibers around it
Paramedian branch of the basilar artery
Where does the corticospinal tract travel in the medulla and what is its blood supply
found in the pyramid where it will decussate at the caudal medulla
Anterior spinal artery specifically the sulcal branch
Where does the corticospinal tract travel in the spinal cord and what is its blood supplyy
Posterolateral region in the lateral corticospinal trct
the Arms (medial portion of the tract) get blood supply by the anterior spinal artery
the legs (lateral portion of the tract) get blood supply by the posterior spinal A
Where does the UMN synapse in the spinal cord
on the ventral horn with the LMN
What travels in the medial Corticospinal tract
Controls postrual and proximal movements of the neck, shoulder and trunk muscles
has the same pathway as the corticalspinal tract until the medulla it does not cross and will travel in the medial corticospinal tract
(only 10 percent of the fibers travel this route)
blood supply will be the anterior spinal A
what is the somatotopographic organization all the way down the Corticospinal tract
cortex: legs medial and hand lateral
cerebral peduncle: legs anterior and lateral, hand posterior and medial
pons: legs lateral, hand medial
medulla: legs lateral, hand medial
spinal cord: legs lateral, hand medial
What is the Corticobulbar tract and what does it carry
also called corticonuclear
arises from ventral part of the cortical area 4
descends brain stem and influences muscels innervated by cranial nerves including motor nuclei:
Trigeminal Facial glossopharyngeal vagus spinal accessory hypoglossal
axons will decussate and control muscles on contralateral side
Where does the corticobulbar tract travel in the internal capsule, and in the midbrain , pons, and medulla
the genu
just medial to the corticospinal tract in the cerebral peduncle
in the anterior pons
and in the pyramids
Location of the CN V, VII, IX, X, XII, XI in the brain stem
pons: V, VII
medulla: IX, X, XII
spinal cord: XI
What type of input: ipsilateral, contralateral, bilateral does each CN recieve: V, VII, IX, X, XI, XII
V: bilateral input
VII: bilateral forehead
contralateral lowerface
Muscles of the palate: contralateral
- Uvula will deviate in lesion
- ipsilateral to UMN damage
- Contralateral LMN damage
Muscles of the tongue: Contralateral
- tongue protruds in a lesion
- contralateral to UMN damage
- ipsilateral to LMN
Accessory: Ipsilateral
LMN topographically organization of the ventral horn
Medial LMN project to axial muscles
Lateral LMN project to limb muscles
LMN innervating the flexors are tend to be posterior
LMN innervating the extensors tend to be anterior