The Sensorimotor System Flashcards
What does Principle 3 of the Sensorimotor System state?
Learning changes the nature of motor outputs.
What is the Sensorimotor System Associated with?
Movement production
What Principle does Rothwell et al. (1982) refer to? Explain his study.
- Patient lost all sensation in thier limbs, but had no problem with motor movements.
- Struggled to pick up objects, as they had no sensations to guide their actions (how much pressure to apply to an object)
What does Principle 2 of the Sensorimotor System state?
Motor outputs are guided by sensory inputs.
What does a heirarchal organisation mean in the sensorimotor system?
Association areas of the brain plan movements, whilst lower levels execute movements.
This heirarchy becomes more intricate as the system progresses further towards association areas.
What does functional segregation mean?
Each level is divided into sub-levels, which hold different functions.
What does a parallel structure mean in the sensorimotor system?
- Signals can flow through multiple pathways
- Provides robustness against damage.
How many princples are there in the Sensorimotor system?
3
List the 3 catagories in Principle 1 in the sensorimotor system.
- Heirarchal organisation.
- Functional segregation.
- Parallel structure.
List the two areas within the Association Area of the Sensorimotor system.
Posterior Parietal Association Cortex (PPC) and Dorsalateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPC)
What is the function of the Posterior Parietal Association Cortex (PPC)?
- Provides information about spatial information.
- Intergrates body part information with external objects.
- Outputs information to the DLPC and Secondary Motor Cortex
What is the function of the Dorsalateral Prefrontal Cortex?
- Sets goals of motor outputs.
- Sends information to the PPC and the Secondary Motor Cortex.
- Damage leads to the inability to excert voluntary movement.
What are the functions of the Secondary Motor Cortex?
- Puts the plan from the Dorsalateral Prefrontal Cortex into action.
- Coordinates movement sequences to project to the Primary Motor Cortex.
Which study illustrates the functions of the Secondary Motor Cortex?
Brinkman et al. (1984)
Describe Brinkman et al. (1984) study.
Monkey Study.
- Lesioned SMC could not retrieve a food pallet coordinating their two index fingers.
- Shows how the SMC puts a plan into an action.
What is the function of the Primary Motor Cortex?
Tells muscles how to produce a movement.
What does Somatotopic Organisation mean?
Stimulation to different areas along a particular brain structure will instruct body parts to contract/ relax to execute a movement.
Where is the Primary Motor Cortex located?
Along the Precenteral Gyrus
What is the function of the Cerebellum?
Recieves information from sensory systems, and uses the information to fine tune movements.
What percentage of neurons does the Cerebellum hold?
50%
What holds the two hemispheres of the Cerebellum together?
The Vermis
What part of the brain is the cerebellum located?
The hindbrain. The most posterior part of the brain.
What study illustrates functions of the cerebellum?
Park et al. (2012)
Describe the study which illustrates the functions of the cerebellum.
Park et al. (2009;2012)
- Studied tennis players and hockey players.
- Both sports require precise movement strategy.
- Measured the cerebellular volume of each participant.
- Cerebellum was enlarged in all athletes.
List 1 limitation of Park et al. (2009; 2012) study.
- It relies on correlational evidence
- You cannot infer a cause and effect.
- Possiblility that people with larger cerebellular mass partake in sport.
What is the characteristics of the basal ganglia?
- Role in movement coordination
- Role in habit learning, for it to become automatic.
- Role in voluntary movements
- Loops with cortical structures
Where is the basal ganglia found?
In the Forebrain
Name two disorders of movement.
Parkinsons disease, and Huntingtons disease.
With reference to brain structures, how do symptoms of Parkinsons disease arise?
- The Substantia Nigra (SN) starts to deteriorate.
- The SN loops with the basal ganglia, subsequently affecting this cortical area.
- Movement coordination connections deteriorate.
What are symptoms of Parkinsons disease?
Slow movements, difficultly in initiating movement, muscle tremors.
With reference to brain structures, how do symptoms of Huntington’s disease arise?
Damage/ degeneration of neuronal activity to the basal ganglia.
What are the symptoms of Huntingtons disease?
Symptoms of involuntary movements (jerks and twitches)
