Brain Control Of Movement

Front 1

Lateral Pathways

Back 1

-Involved in voluntary movement of the distal musculature under direct cortical control
-Limbs, fine motor skills

Front 2

Ventromedial pathways

Back 2

-posture
-movement
-brain stem control

Front 3

Corticospinal tract

Back 3

-most important part of lateral pathway
-begins in neocortex, longest
-aka pyramidal tract

Front 4

Motor Cortex

Back 4

-Areas 4 and 6
-central sulcus/precentral gyrus

Front 5

Pyramidal tract

Back 5

-synonym for corticospinal tract

Front 6

Rubrospinal tract

Back 6

-Originates in red nucleus
-Smaller component of lateral pathway

Front 7

Vestibulospinal tracts

Back 7

-Also tectospinal
-Originate in vestibular nuclei

Front 8

Tectospinal tract

Back 8

-originates in the superior colliculus of the midbrain (which receives direct input from the retina

Front 9

Reticular formation

Back 9

-The reticulospinal tracs arise mainly from here
-brain stem
-runs the length of the brain stem at its core, just under the cerebral aqueduct and fourth ventricle.
-2 parts - pontine and medullary tract

Front 10

Pontine Reticulospinal tract

Back 10

-enchances antigravity reflexes of the spinal cord
-maintain standing posture

Front 11

Medullary reticulospinal tract

Back 11

-liberates antigravity muscles from reflex control.
-required for movements like pitching etc.

Front 12

M1

Back 12

-primary motor cortex
-area 4

Front 13

PMA and SMA

Back 13

-premotor area = connects with reticulospinal neurons that innervate proximal motor units.
-supplementary motor area: sends axons that innervate distal motor units

Front 14

Ventral lateral (VL) nucleus

Back 14

-nucleus of the dorsal thalamus
-where major subcortical input to area 6 arises
-the input to this part of the VL, called VLo, arises from the basal ganglia.

Front 15

Basal ganglia

Back 15

-telencephalon
-where input to VL nucleus arises
-targets of cerebral cortex
-loop where information cycles from the cortex thru the BG and thalamus and then back to cortex (particularly in the SMA)

Front 16

What structures make up the basal ganglia?

Back 16

Substantia nigra, putamen, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus

Front 17

What structures make up the striatum?

Back 17

The caudate nucleus and the putamen

Front 18

Parkinson's disease

Back 18

-hypokinesia
-degeneration of substantia nigra inputs into the striatum (dopamine)

Front 19

Huntingdon's disease

Back 19

-hyperkinesia
-dyskinesias
-dementia
-chorea = spontaneous, uncontrollable, purposeless movements

Front 20

Ballism

Back 20

-violent, flinging motions of the extremities
-one side of body = hemiballismus

Front 21

Motor strip

Back 21

-Ribbon of cortex that stretches the full length of the precentral gyrus

Front 22

Cerebellum

Back 22

-Sequence of movements

Front 23

Ataxia

Back 23

-Condition of the cerebellum where movements become uncoordinated and inaccurate.

Front 24

Dysynergia

Back 24

-Decomposition of synergistic multijoint movement

Front 25

Vermis

Back 25

-bump on the midline of the cerebellum
-separates two cerebellar hemispheres

Front 26

Pontine nuclei

Back 26

-frontal areas 4 & 6, somatosensory areas on the postcentral gyrus, posterior parietal areas