BIL 268 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Tectospinal Tract, Vestibulospinal Tract, Reticular Formation
3 Jan 2016
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Document Summary
Descending control: at the top and the spinal cord at the bottom. Overview: the central motor system is arranged as a hierarchy of control levels, with the forebrain. Hierarchy control: highest level represented by the association areas of neocortex and basal ganglia of the forebrain is connected with strategy: the goal of the movement. Middle level is represented by the motor cortex and cerebellum, is concerned with tactics: sequences of muscle contractions. Lowest level is represented by brain stem and spinal cord, is in charged of the execution: activation of the motor neuron and interneuron pools that generate the goal-directed movement and make any necessary adjustments of posture. Descending pathways: the descending tracts of the spinal cord: The lateral pathways consisting of the corticospinal and rubroespinal tracts, control voluntary. Also, somatosensory area of the parietal lobe serves to regulate the flow of somatosensory information to the brain. Longest pathway: rubroespinal tract: originates in the red nucleus of the midbrain.
