Neural Control of Movement

Question 1

What are the 2 basic principles of Movement?

Answer 1

1. completion of any given motor task depends on the degree of skeletal muscle activation
2. precise and coordinated movement is dependent on continual supply of information from both the external and internal environments

Question 2

What systems regulate and control movement?

Answer 2

The central and peripheral nervous systems

Question 3

What are the four major functions of the nervous system?

Answer 3

1.intergrates the body’s activities
2. voluntary control of movement
3. stores experiences (memory)
4. Establishes new patterns/strategies (learning)

Question 4

What makes up the central nervous system?

Answer 4

Brain, brain stem, and spinal cord

Question 5

What makes up the Peripheral nervous system? (There are two parts)

Answer 5

1. Afferent division: somatic sensory, visceral, special
2. Efferent division: somatic motor, automatic motor( sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric)

Question 6

What are the two parts of the Motor Division ?

Answer 6

Somatic - skeletal muscle

Autonomic - sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 7

Explain how a neuron processes info

Answer 7

taken in from dendrite –> dendrite to cell body where processes and sent to axon –> axon transfers to terminal where chemical messengers are released

Question 8

What can influence a neuron’s ability to process info?

Answer 8

highly mylenated neurons process faster

Question 9

What is a synapse? What is the difference between presynaptic and postsynaptic elements?

Answer 9

small gap between neurons, where nerve impulses are relayed

action potential is sent on pre-synaptic (sending) cell –> post-synaptic (receiving) cell

Question 10

Difference between fine motor and gross motor skills ?

Answer 10

fine motor requires lots of brain space and gross motor requires less

Question 11

What is the importance of the Primary Motor Cortex?

Answer 11

all necessary cell body’s for muscle activation are located here

Question 12

What is the difference between upper and lower motor neurons?

Answer 12

upper motor neurons are in spinal cord

lower motor neurons are located near muscle and deal with contraction

Question 13

What is Kinesthesia?

Answer 13

recognition of body’s position and movement in space

Question 14

What are the 3 proprioceptors?

Answer 14

1. muscle spindle
2. golgi tendon organs
3. joint receptors

Question 15

What are the steps for contracting a muscle?

Answer 15

1. muscle spindle detects stretch
2. sensory neurons conduct action potentials to spinal cord
3. sensory neurons synapses with alpha motor neurons
4. stimulation of alpha motor neurons causes muscle contraction

Question 16

What are the steps for tendon?

Answer 16

1. golgi tendon organs detect tension
2. sensory neurons conduct action potentials to spinal cord
3. sensory neurons synapse with inhibitory neurons that synapse with alpha motor
4. inhibition causes muscle relaxation relieving tension

Question 17

What modulates and manipulates motor output? What are the steps of processing?

Answer 17

The Vestibular Nuclei (brain stem)

Vestibular Nuclei –> spinal cord –> skeletal muscle