The Neurobiology of animal movement Flashcards
Why do animals move ?
To provide for basic needs and to interact with other species and its own kind.
In general terms what can the action of the skeletal motor system be considered as under a heading ?
Locomotion, grasping/manipulation and communication
How do muscles move the skeleton ?
By contracting
What is the biceps and triceps referred to as ?
antagonistic pair
Whats the final functional element controlling action ?
Motor nerves run from the spinal cord to the muscles - they are the final functional element controlling action
What enlargements are there for the nerves innervating the arms and legs ?
There are cervical and lumbar enlargements for the nerves innervating the arms and legs
What is the neuromuscular junction ?
Is a specialised synapse transferring electric signals from the central nervous system to the muscles that move all elements of the body. whether it is the muscles controlling the movement of the eye, those of speech, or of whole body movements
Where does the Neuromuscular junction sit ?
In a pit on the surface of the muscle cell
Whats myoclonus ?
Short, involuntary motor activation
The hierarchy is both functional and anatomical with purposeful and skilled movements initiated by the….
Cortex supplemented by the basal ganglia, cerebellum and cortex
Where does activity occur during automatic movements ?
in the brain stem and spinal cord
Why is the positive of automatic mini programs and reflexes ?
relieves the load on the CNS
What did Ferrier and Sherrington determine the site of the motor cortex was ?
Pre-central gyrus
What is the primary motor cortex ?
Is a strip of tissue anterior to the central sulcus.
What is the primary motor cortex anatomically called ?
it is called the pre central gyrus or area 4 or M1
What does stimulation of the primary motor cortex lead to ?
Activation of muscle
What is the corticospinal tract ?
The output of the human motor system controlling skilled movement
How much axons do M1, supplementary, pre-motor areas and the somatosensory cortex contribute ?
-M1 = 30 percent
- Supplementary and pre-motor areas = 30 percent
- Somatosensory corte = 40 percent
What area of the cortex work together to direct voluntary movement ?
The motor and sensory areas
What is direct monosynaptic connections from the cortex to the spinal nerves a feature of ?
Is a feature of primates that enhance the ability of monkeys, apes and man to make a wide range of controlled movements by the co-ordination of muscle contraction in space and time.
What does the lateral corticospinal tract form a part of ?
The internal capsule, cerebral peduncles and pyramids
Where does movement occur if electrical stimulation of sites in M1 ( primary motor cortex ) ?
M1 elects movement in the corresponding part of the musculoskeletal system.
How does corticospinal motor neurones in man and primates control the forearm and hands ?
Via single synapses
What is affected if primary motor cortex is damaged ?
Precision of movement
What can’t complex co-ordianted movement movement directed from the SMA be elected with ?
Single point stimulation
What disorder is known to occur when associated with basal ganglia ?
Parkinsons disease
What is the function of the cerebellum ?
- The cerebellum appears to refine movements, generating smooth, co-ordinated sequences of muscle interaction.
What does damage to the cerebellum cause ?
can result in poorly co-ordinated, robotic, inaccurate movement and loss of balance
The cerebellum is involved in learning new sequences of movement
What is the function of the brainstem nuclei ?
Controls innate behaviour, such as posture, grooming and feeding
What is the function of the midbrain ?
To control the speed of locomotion
What does a behaviour that has rhythmic pattern require ?
It requires some sort of timing device, either specialised cells or circuit, that can maintain a beat.
The spinal cord contains circuits that generate rhythmic patterns for locomotion.
