NSCI 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Lower Motor Neuron, Premotor Cortex, Motor Neuron
12 Mar 2018
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Chapter 16: lower motor neuron circuits and motor control. 4 distinct subsystems: local circuitry in spinal cord. Grey matter of spinal cord and tegmentum area of brainstem. Lower motor neurons: send axons out of brainstem and spinal cord to innervate skeletal muscles of head and body. Convey all commands for reflexive and voluntary movement: major source of synaptic input of lower motor neurons. Central pattern generation: even after disconnection of brain, certain stimulation of spinal cord can still cause highly coordinated locomotion, upper motor neurons. Cells bodies in brainstem or cerebral cortex. Descending projections from cortical areas of frontal lobe, including. Brodmann"s area 6 (premotor cortex: these are essential for: Brodmann"s area 26 in anterior cingulate gyrus governs facial expressions. Upper motor neurons dorm brainstem regulate muscle tone (posture), orientation of head, eyes, etc. as part of vestibular reflex arcs and automatic functions. Rhythmic movements (ex: peristalsis in digestion, heartbeat: the basal ganglia: unconscious breathing)
