- Region of the brain involved in the initiation of movement 
- Specific regions of the motor cortex are associated with the movement of individual body parts/muscles ("maps" of M1 exhibit this concept)
- The M1 exhibits "learning" when movement is habituated

Primary Motor Cortex (M1)

- Contributes to movement by "communicating" (sending messages) to brain stem and spinal cord, and by regulating M1
- Contains the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the premotor cortex

Nonprimary Motor Cortex

- Our motor cortices help to facilitate the movements of our body in different ways
- There are two motor cortices: 
- Primary Motor Cortex (referred to as M1) 
- Nonprimary motor cortex (which contains the premotor cortex and the supplementary motor area), is anterior to M1 

Smith College

- Behavioral view of reflexes
- Control systems for accuracy vs speed
- Spinal cord's role in controling body movement
- Motor cortexes
- Extrapyramidal systems role in motor commands
- Brain disorders and motor impairments

Motor Control 

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Motor Cortices

- A motor system that goes from the forebrain to the spinal cord and brainstem
- Includes the basal ganglia and cerebellum (structures of the brain)
- These structures send messages to the spinal cord through the reticulospinal tract and the rubrospinal tract

Extrapyramidal System 

Alzheimer's disease is a specific type of dementia characterized as an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, which is understood to have a genetic basis. It gradually destroys memory and cognitive skills, eventually impairing the ability to perform simple tasks like walking, talking, and eating. This severe cognitive decline is associated with the formation of plaques in the brain resulting from cell death.

Alzheimer's Disease

- When thinking about how a behavior is initiated, researchers have questioned whether it is reflexive (meaning it is caused by a chain of events without intentionality) or planned (which is defined by a motor plan)

Sequence of Initiating Behavior 

- Similarly to engineering, in order to control movement, the body must take into account two needs: accuracy and speed 
- Two types of control mechanisms (closed and open loop) are able to prioritize one of these needs when controlling movement 

Control Systems for Movement 

- Motor neurons control the beginning, end, and organization of muscle movement  
- The spinal cord is involved in motor neuron input
- Therefore, in order to understand how movement is coordinated, the spinal cord's organization (as well as ways in which its disrupted/ how it interacts with the brain) must be understood

Spinal Cord in Controlling Body Movement

- Movement disorders can be caused by disorders of the brain, including the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and cortex

Learn Before

Related

Learn After