Primary motor cortex

Factors contributing to motor recovery include neuroplasticity, response to focal injury, and strategies for adaptive responses. Neuroplasticity is a concept that suggests a given function in the brain can transfer to another area of the brain if damage has occurred. The brain reorganizes itself by forming new synaptic connections, or neural pathways, through the process of repetitive learning. After a focal brain injury, the degree of damage to the corticospinal tract correlates to the ability to recover motor function. If the pathway from the primary motor cortex to the motor neurons in the spinal cord is disrupted, secondary motor areas of the brain will be recruited. Secondary motor areas are less numerous and less excitatory; therefore, they will contribute to motor recovery, but will not provide exact substitutions for projections from the primary motor cortex. Finally, strategies to promote adaptive responses can influence recovery of motor function after a stroke. These strategies include changing the environmental and behavioral contexts to influence cerebral reorganization and promote recovery of function (Ward & Cohen,…

loss of motor skills (Percy, 2016). A genetic basis for Rett’s was discovered in 1999 which showed that a mutation in methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) was to blame for this disorder (Chahrour & Zoghbi, 2007). In almost 95% of cases mutations in MECP2 are found with most arising from sporadic de novo, or new, mutations. Approximately 70% of all MECP2 mutation are either missense or nonsense, a mutation of nucleotides that leads to premature truncation of the gene by means of a premature stop…

Others have argued that there is a distinction between subvocalization (our inner voice) and the phonological store (our inner ear). In this view, subvocalization is more of a motor plan, whereas the phonological store is a short term acoustic memory. The idea is that these two compo- nents are tightly linked and work together during auditory imagery. Based on the neu- roimaging data we have seen so far, it’s tempting to speculate that the SMA could be involved with subvocalization, whereas…

levels of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine within the central nervous system (National Center for Biotechnology Information). Indication for this hypothesis is sustained with clinical trials and animal testing. Barchas, J., and Altemus, M. (1999) Monoamine Hypotheses of Mood Disorders Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK28257/ 7) NOT DONE 8) The pyramidal system is a direct pathways for all motor impulses originating at the cortex of the brain. This pathway provides…

functioning in everyday life. “Alterations in gray matter development represent a potential pathway through which childhood abuse is associated with psychopathology.” De Bellis, (2013). MRI scans of adolescents who have experienced physical and or sexual abuse show reduced cortical thickness and reduced gray matter volume in subcortical regions. Specific regions affected include the prefrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, and the temporal…

The structure of the cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex is the cerebrum’s outer layer. It is divided into two cortices, the left and the right cerebral hemispheres divided by the medial longitudinal fissure. The cerebral cortex plays a major role in memory, attention, perception, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. The human cerebral cortex is thick about 2-4mm.The cerebral cortex is gray matter, consisting mainly of cell bodies and capillaries. It contrasts with the underlying…

The cerebellum, on the other hand, is involved in controlling movements through coordination, precision, and accurate timing of movement. Unlike the basal ganglia, it does not directly initiate or suppress movement but works by influencing movements by modifying activity patterns of the upper motor neurons. The cerebellum receives its input from the spinal cord in form of mossy fibers that project from the pons and spinocerebellar pathways. Mossy fibers contribute the information necessary for…

It controls the functions of the body, its also referred to as a muscle of thinking as the brain actually tells your muscles what to do, the brain also controls all of the bodily functions as well as our other organs. Our brain has three major characteristics; author Paul Maclean explains the brain is best understood by socio-cognitive context. The “triune brain” according to Maclean consists of the limbic system, neocortex, and the brainstem. Brainstem has two main functions, first it a channel…

In the past it was believed that the cerebellum received information from various areas of the cortex and projected information to the primary motor cortex via thalamus, thus fine-tuning a movement (19). It was also believed that the Basal ganglia was involved with the inhibition and selection of action commands (19). These views suggest the involvement of both cerebellum and Basal ganglia(BG) in purely motor function. But that is not the case, recent studies have found a connection between the…

Motor function and motor control begin in the motor cortex of the brain. The primary motor cortex is associated with generation of a motor program. Premotor areas are involved in complicated motor functions, such as required changes in output forces or velocities, or motor response to visual or auditory input. Also, the basal ganglia and thalamus are important coordinating centers for goal­directed motor programs and patterns. The cerebellum allows for unimpeded movements of those motor…