PRELIMS: Examination for Motor Function Flashcards
Which tract is involved in the voluntary control of distal musculature?
Corticospinal tract
What is the function of the basal ganglia in motor control?
To initiate and regulate voluntary movement
Which type of muscle fiber is characterized by high endurance and slow contraction speed?
Type I fibers
What is the primary neurotransmitter involved in neuromuscular junctions?
Acetylcholine
Describe the difference between upper motor neurons (UMNs) and lower motor neurons (LMNs).
UMNs originate in the brain and spinal cord, while LMNs directly innervate muscles.
This concept involves storing information about the order, timing, force, and muscles used in movements, with sensory feedback modifying the resulting actions.
Generalized Motor Programs (GMPs)
A complex program for purposeful movement that consists of several component motor programs.
Motor Plan
Includes core neurons in the brainstem that arouse and awaken the brain, controlling the sleep-wake cycle.
Ascending Reticular Activating System
Internal processes linked to practice or experience that lead to permanent changes in skilled behavior.
Motor Learning
This type of memory involves the recall of motor programs, including information on initial movement conditions, sensory parameters, specific performance parameters, and the outcome of the movement.
Motor Memory (Procedural Memory)
A distributed model of motor control where multiple systems, including mechanical, cognitive, and perceptual factors, interact to produce coordinated movement.
Systems Theory
The process of reacquiring the ability to perform movements as before an injury, contrasted with performing movement in a new manner using different muscles or limbs.
Recovery and Compensation
The ability to take in, store, and recall information is a key part of this cognitive component.
Memory
Broad-based memory and learning impairments are typically seen in this condition.
Dementia
The CNS’s adaptive capacity to change and repair, involving both short-term changes in synaptic strength and long-term changes in genes, neurons, and networks.
Neural Plasticity
Refers to the state of arousal with awareness of the environment, where the patient is awake, alert, and oriented.
Consciousness
Involves voluntary movements of distal muscles and includes pathways like the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts.
Lateral Pathways
This system includes pontine and medullary reticulospinal tracts and plays a role in antigravity reflexes and the extensor tone of the lower extremities.
Descending Reticular Activating System
The state of diminished arousal where the patient is drowsy, can open eyes and respond briefly, but easily falls asleep.
Lethargy
The process of sending signals in advance to prepare the sensorimotor systems for movement.
Feedforward
A state of diminished arousal and awareness where the patient is difficult to arouse, appears confused, and interacts poorly with their environment.
Obtunded State
A state where the patient can only be aroused with vigorous or unpleasant stimuli, showing minimal voluntary responses.
Stupor
This system maintains homeostasis and restores it after SNS activation.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)
A state in which a patient is unarousable, has no sleep-wake cycles, and does not respond to repeated painful stimuli, often requiring ventilation.
Coma