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Related Concept Videos

Direct Motor Pathways01:11

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
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Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
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Muscle Contraction01:10

Muscle Contraction

In skeletal muscles, acetylcholine is released by nerve terminals at the motor endplate—the point of synaptic communication between motor neurons and muscle fibers. The binding of acetylcholine to its receptors on the sarcolemma allows entry of sodium ions into the cell and triggers an action potential in the muscle cell. Thus, electrical signals from the brain are transmitted to the muscle. Subsequently, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase breaks down acetylcholine to prevent excessive muscle...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
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A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by a temporary, focal reduction in cerebral blood flow. Although symptoms resemble those of an ischemic stroke, the interruption in perfusion is short-lived and does not cause permanent infarction. TIAs are clinically important because they often serve as early warning events for future stroke.Mechanisms of Transient Cerebral IschemiaTransient cerebral ischemia may arise through several mechanisms. One...

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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

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Published on: December 31, 2013

Cortical transients preceding voluntary movement.

J W Hartwell1

  • 1JW Hartwell & Associates, 3001 Hartwell Pond Drive, Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA. jwhartwell@TriangleResearch.com

Mathematical Biosciences
|September 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Brain activity focuses from widespread networks to specific motor cortex sites for voluntary movement initiation. This mathematical model simulates the neural dynamics, revealing how cortical architecture enables this crucial focusing process.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Systems Neuroscience

Background:

  • Voluntary movement initiation involves a transition from diffuse brain activity to localized neural firing in the primary motor cortex.
  • Electroencephalography (EEG) studies of 'contingent negative variation' and 'readiness potential' show widespread brain activity preceding even simple movements.
  • Naturalistic movements likely engage even more extensive cortical networks before precise motor execution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To mathematically model and simulate the focusing process of brain activity during voluntary movement initiation.
  • To investigate the transition from diffuse cortical activation to specific neural spiking.
  • To understand the role of cortical architecture in mediating this neural focusing.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a digital simulation to solve global equations for cortical dynamics.
  • Modeled the flow of neural activity from diffuse onset to localized spiking.
  • Analyzed the interplay between global and local neural effects.

Main Results:

  • The simulation successfully modeled the focusing of diffuse brain activity onto specific motor cortex locations.
  • The interplay between global and local neural effects is a consequence of wave propagation in cortical architecture.
  • Characteristic amplitudes and delays of the focusing process were estimated.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical architecture inherently supports wave propagation, leading to the necessary focusing of neural activity for movement.
  • The transition from diffuse to localized activity is a fundamental aspect of motor control.
  • Mathematical modeling provides insights into the dynamics of neural processing for voluntary actions.