PSY 250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Central Pattern Generator, Motor Unit, Sensory Processing

• School: Stony Brook University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 250
• Professor: Ryan Parsons

Document Summary

Objective: be able to describe the various components of the descending neural pathways (from brain to spinal cord) and their functions in controlling and coordinating sequences of movements studied with different approaches. Lecture outline: categories of movements and basic concepts. Categories of movements and basic concepts: 1. Voluntary movements (under volitional control: purposeful, goal directed, learned, 2. Rhythmic motor patterns (involves repeating patterns of movement: combined features of voluntary and reflex acts (associated with the central pattern generator, a common misconception is that sensorimotor control is just about muscle control. However, movement is not just about connections between a stimulus and muscle contraction: movement relies on the overall plan and constant sensory feedback. Motor unit: a single motor neuron and the muscles it innervates. All fibers contract when the motor neuron fires. Muscles: skeletal muscles: flexors bend a join (e. g. bicep, extensors straighten a joint (e. g. triceps) If two sets of muscles cause opposite movements, they are said to be.