Topic_10-Somatic_Integration

Motor Unit

A motor neuron and all the skeletal muscle fibers it innervates.

Final Common Pathway

Motor neurons are considered the final common pathway out of the CNS for all neural input for skeletal muscles.

Motor Neuron Pool

All of the motor neurons that affect a skeletal muscle.

Isometric Contraction

A type of contraction where muscle tension is generated without any movement.

Motor Program

A sequence of neural activity required to carry out a desired movement.

Afferent Neurons

Neurons that carry sensory information to the central nervous system.

Voluntary Movements

Movements that are accompanied by conscious awareness and intention.

Involuntary Movements

Movements that are automatic and often reflexive, without conscious awareness.

Descending Pathways

Pathways that carry signals from the brain to influence motor neurons.

Corticospinal Pathway

A pathway where nerve fibers originate in the sensorimotor cortex and terminate in the spinal cord.

Basal Nuclei

A group of nuclei that help to coordinate and execute movements, inhibiting unwanted movements.

Parkinson’s Disease

A neurological disorder characterized by diminished input to basal nuclei, leading to reduced movement and rigidity.

Substantia Nigra

A brain structure containing dopamine-producing neurons, important for movement control.

Cerebellum

A brain structure that influences posture and movement, involved in timing and coordinating movements.

Corticobulbar Pathways

Fibers that begin in the sensorimotor cortex and end in the brainstem to control muscles in the face and neck.

Lockjaw

A common name for the early symptom of tetanus characterized by stiffness of jaw muscles.