Summary: Neural Control Of Movement And Posture

Read the summary and the most important questions on Neural control of movement and posture

• Descending neural pathways

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• Describe the three  types of movements

  • Voluntary/spontaneous movements (writing, car driving ect.)
  • Involuntary reflexes (postural reflex, cornea reflex)
  • Rhytmical movements (chewing, walking respiration)

• Describe the somatotopic reprensentation of spinal motorneurons

  There is a medial-lateral representation for spinal motorneurons. In the medial system we find the trunk. In the medial system we find the arm/thighs, forearms/legs and the hand/foot.

• Describe the patellar relfex

  A tap of a litte hammer to the patellar ligament stretches the spindles in the quadriceps femoris. These spindles discharge exitatory impulses to the spinal cord. Alfa motorneurons in the spinal cord respond by eliciting a twitch in the quadriceps with extension of the knee. Inhibitorry internuncial neurons respond by supressing any activity of the hamstrings.

• Describe the anatomy of the basal ganglia

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD2KPSGZ1No

• Describe the most important disturbances of the cerebellum

  Ataxia => uncoordinated movements
  Intension tremor
  Dysmetria
  Hypermetria

• Describe the disturbances of the corticospinal tract

  
  

  • Contralateral parasis
  • Ipsilateral peresis
  • Central phenomena: hypertonia hyperreflexion

  
  Mostly caused by a CVA (ischemia).

• Coordination of movement

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• Describe the architecture of the muscle

  A muscle is composed of muscle cells, also called muscle fibers. These muscle fibers form bundles with connective tissue around it. A lot of bundles together form the muscle.
  
  The muscle cell of fibers is composed of myofibrils, long structures of myosin and actin filaments.

• What are the components of the motor unit?

  1. Motorneuron in the antetior horn of the spinal cord
  2. The axon of the motor neuron
  3. All the muscle fibers the muscle fiber and its axon innervates.

• How does the innervation within a motor unit works?

  In a motor unit each muscle fiber is innervated by a single motor neuron. However a motor neuron innervates 10-500 muscle fibers. All the muscle fibers within the motor unit contract together - not independently.

• How could a motor unit increase the strength of muscle contraction?

  By increasing the firing frequency of the motor action potential the strength of the muscle contraction increases.