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Related Concept Videos

Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
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...
Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

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...
Motor Units01:13

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...
Motor Units00:46

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.

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A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study
06:58

A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study

Published on: November 6, 2015

Motor control: learning new moves with old pumps.

John Simmers1

  • 1Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université Bordeaux & CNRS UMR5287, Bordeaux 33076, France. john.simmers@u-bordeaux2.fr

Current Biology : CB
|March 24, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered a new short-term memory in the spinal cord. This memory uses cellular homeostasis to adjust movement based on previous actions, enhancing locomotor behavior.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Biology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Short-term memory is crucial for adapting behavior.
  • Spinal cord networks control movement and exhibit plasticity.
  • Cellular homeostasis mechanisms regulate cell function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel forms of memory in the spinal cord.
  • To investigate the role of cellular homeostasis in neuronal network activity.
  • To understand how past performance influences locomotor behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings in spinal cord preparations.
  • Pharmacological manipulation of cellular homeostasis pathways.
  • Behavioral analysis of locomotor tasks.

Main Results:

  • A novel form of short-term memory was identified in the spinal cord.
  • This memory mechanism utilizes established cellular homeostasis pathways.
  • Spinal cord networks encode past performance to modulate ongoing locomotor activity.

Conclusions:

  • The spinal cord possesses a unique short-term memory system.
  • Cellular homeostasis plays a critical role in spinal cord memory and motor adaptation.
  • This finding offers new insights into neural plasticity and motor learning.