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,…

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…

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…

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 primary motor cortex is structure 3, which is located in the back of the frontal lobe. It is mainly involved in motor function. Neural impulses sent from the primary motor cortex control movement. Skeletal muscles are activated when signals sent from the primary motor cortex cross the body’s midline. This stimulates the opposite side of the body, which means that the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and vice versa. Many motor problems can occur when the primary motor…

The brain has two important motor pathways. These pathways are the motor cortex and the somatosensory cotex (Carlson & Birkett, 2017). The motor cortex of the brain is made up of the outer grey matter. Each side of the cortex has areas that represent particular regions of our body. Signals from these areas will travel to the particular areas of the body to preform specific movements. The thalamus is a structure that is very important in movement, as it is the relay station. The motor…

spastic phantom limb (Ramachandran & Rogers-Ramachandran, 2000; Foell et al., 2014; Hunter, Katz, & Davis, 2003). Participants in a study practiced mirror training for four consecutive weeks by performing specific exercises with the intact limb which was superimposed by the mirror so that it visually appeared as if it were the amputated limb. MRI and fMRI scans were performed prior to and directly following the four weeks of training to compare activation during hand movement. The mirror therapy…

CORTICAL MAPPING USING MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS IN GLIOMA SURGERY INTRODUCTION The aim of glioma surgery is to get maximum resection of a tumor with minimal violation of normal brain tissue. A primary tenet of neurosurgical oncology is that survival can improve with greater tumor resection, but this principle must be tempered by the potential for functional loss after a radical removal. It has always been a challenge to achieve this ?functional? resection especially when eloquent cortex is…

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…

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…