Quiz

Question 1

Which of the following motor subsystems plays an important role in the selection of appropriate motor plans and the suppression of inappropriate plans?
Cerebellum
Lower motor neurons and local circuit neurons.
Descending systems carrying commands generated by upper motor neurons.
Basal Nuclei

Answer 1

Basal Nuclei

Question 2

Which of the following movements would be considered a reflexive movement?
Reaching for a can of soda.
Removing your hand from a hot stove.
Hitting a ball with a baseball bat.
Walking down the street.

Answer 2

Removing your hand from a hot stove.

Question 3

True or False: Voluntary movements are consciously controlled, have a flexible context dependent association with sensory stimuli, and they can improve with practice or experience.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following statements regarding lower motor neurons (LMNs) is false?
LMN pools that innervate the upper extremity are located in the cervical enlargement of the spinal cord.
LMN pools located medially in the ventral horn innervate muscles that will control movements of the trunk (axial muscles).
LMNs encode the force generated by individual muscles via the rate code and the size principle of recruitment.
LMNs receive sensory input from the periphery and modulatory input from upper motor neurons located in the motor cortices and brainstem.
There are two types of LMNs. Alpha motor neurons innervate intrafusal muscle fibers and gamma motor neurons innervate extrafusal muscle fibers.

Answer 4

There are two types of LMNs. Alpha motor neurons innervate intrafusal muscle fibers and gamma motor neurons innervate extrafusal muscle fibers.

Explanation:
This statement is false: The first part of the statement is true: there are two types of LMNs. However, the second part of the statement is false: alpha motor neurons innervate the force generating fibers (extrafusal) of skeletal muscle, while gamma motor neurons innervate the contractile part of the muscle spindle (intrafusal fiber).

Question 5

Damage to lower motor neurons will result in a combination of clinical signs. Which of the following signs are associated with LMN damage?
Fibrillations or fasciculations
Hyporeflexia or areflexia
Spasticity or hypertonicity
Both A & B
Both B & C

Answer 5

Both A & B

Question 6

Which of the following upper motor neuron pathways modulates the activity of lower motor neuron pools that innervate muscles associated with postural control?
Lateral corticospinal Tract
Anterior corticospinal tract
Reticulospinal tract
Both B & C

Answer 6

Both B & C

Question 7

The ______________ and the ____________ make up the primary motor cortex.
Postcentral and posterior paracentral gyri
Precentral and anterior paracentral gyri
Middle frontal gyrus
None of the above

Answer 7

Precentral and anterior paracentral gyri

Question 8

True or False:
Apraxia is the inability to execute actions in the absence of paresis or paralysis.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Which of the following disorders results from damage to the subthalamic nucleus?
Huntington’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Hemiballismus
Both A & C

Answer 9

Hemiballismus

Question 10

Which of the following statements regarding the direct pathway of the basal nuclei is false?
The striatum receives excitatory input from the cortex and the substantia nigra pars compacta.
The striatum sends excitatory projections to the internal segment of the globus pallidus.
The net effect of the direct pathway is to excite UMNs in the motor cortices.
An imbalance in the output of the basal nuclei that favors the indirect pathway will result in a reduction in voluntary motor activity.

Answer 10

The striatum sends excitatory projections to the internal segment of the globus pallidus.