Neuro3 Flashcards
Where, in the brain, is the decision to move (somatic motor) made?
Heteromodal association cortices
prefrontal, parietotemporal, or limbic
Where, in the brain, are the cortical motor planning regions?
Premotor cortex
Supplementary motor cortex
Frontal eye fields
Broca’s area
What occurs after motor planning decision has been made?
Control circuits refine and assist with execution
Where are the motor control circuits?
Primary motor cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia
What are 7 primary descending motor pathways?
Corticospinal Corticobulbar Reticulospinal Rubrospinal Vestibulospinal Tectospinal
The descending motor neurons are UPN/LMN?
UPN’s
What to the descending pathway axons synapse with?
Interneurons (in the gray matter) and LMN’s in the Ventral Horns
In most of the body, the LMN synapse is in the ______, but cranial nn. synapse in the ______.
Ventral horns of the spinal tract
In the nuclei of the brain.
From what supra spinal structures do descending pathways originate?
Cortex and brainstem (neuronal cell bodies)
T/F
Descending pathways usually synapse directly (monosynaptically) onto Alpha/Gamma MN’s in ventral horn of the spinal cord and cranial motor nuclei.
False.
Most (a majority) synapse with interneurons in the spinal cord.
What other input do alpha and gamma MN’s receive?
segmental inputs from peripheral afferents
Descending motor pathways can be both/and?
Excitatory
Inhibitory
(these pathways shut off certain mm.’s and activate others)
What dictates the excitatory/inhibitory make-up of these descending motor pathways?
spatial and temporal summation with thousands of inhibitory/excitatory interneurons.
The alpha/gamma motor neurons are considered to be…
LMN’s
The descending pathways, along with the somas they arise from, are considered to be…
UPN’s
What is the largest and clinically most important spinal tract?
The Corticospinal Tract
aka - pyramidal tract
Where do the axons of the primary motor tract originate?
From somas mostly in the primary motor cortex
Describe the pathway of the Corticospinal Tract from the brain to spinal cord.
Primary motor cortex > Corona Radiata > Internal Capsule > Cerebral peduncles > Pyramids
What percentage of fibers from the Corticospinal tract decussate in the medullary pyramids?
85-90%
Where do the crossed (85-90%) axons travel through the spinal cord?
Lateral Corticospinal Tract
lateral funiculus
What percentage of corticospinal tract fibers have monosynaptic connections?
3-5%
Where do the uncrossed (10-15%) fibers in the corticospinal tract descend?
Anterior Corticospinal tract
anterior funiculus
What tract is regarded as the descending pathway most concerned with voluntary, discrete, skilled movements?
Lateral Corticospinal tract
the crossed one in the majority
What tract controls bilateral axial musculature?
Anterior Corticospinal tract