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Indirect Motor Pathways

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

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Related Experiment Video

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Visual influence on postural control, with and without visual motion feedback.

Anna Hafström¹, Per-Anders Fransson, Mikael Karlberg

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Lund University Hospital, Sweden. anna.hafstrom@onh.lu.se

Acta Oto-Laryngologica

|July 20, 2002

Summary

Visual input with motion feedback significantly improves postural control. Without this feedback, body sway increases, especially when eyes are open in darkness, suggesting a reliance on visual cues for balance.

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Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

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Area of Science:

Human Physiology
Biomechanics
Neuroscience

Background:

Postural control is crucial for maintaining stability.
Visual input is known to influence balance.
The specific role of motion feedback within visual input requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if visual input requires motion feedback to affect postural control.
To quantify body sway under various visual conditions.
To understand the interplay between visual cues and postural stability.

Main Methods:

Twenty healthy subjects participated.
Posturography measured body sway.
Visual conditions included eyes open (unrestricted/restricted field, ganzfield, darkness with/without target) and eyes closed in darkness, with calf muscle vibration perturbations.

Main Results:

Least body sway occurred with eyes open in an unrestricted visual field.
Greatest sway was observed without visual motion feedback (eyes closed, eyes open in darkness/ganzfield/with fixation point).
Eyes open in darkness initially resulted in greater sway than eyes closed, indicating a potential delay in postural strategy adjustment.

Conclusions:

Visual motion feedback significantly enhances postural control.
Absence of visual motion feedback leads to increased body sway.
The postural control system may anticipate visual feedback when eyes are open, impacting adaptation strategies.