YEAR 3
QUARTER 1
2020
Neural Basis of
Motor Control
SUMMARY OF THE COURSE NEURAL BASIS OF MOTOR
CONTROL NWI-BB080C
ELISE REUVEKAMP
,Content
Lecture 1: Introduction and challenges of motor control.......................................................................4
Lecture 2: Muscle activation...................................................................................................................8
Functions of muscular actuation.........................................................................................................8
Structure and physiology of skeletal muscles.....................................................................................8
Actuation of muscles via the nervous system...................................................................................10
Body mechanics and muscle actuation.............................................................................................12
Lecture 3: Spinal reflexes......................................................................................................................13
The spinal cord.................................................................................................................................13
Cell types and sensors......................................................................................................................14
Classical reflex arcs...........................................................................................................................16
Beyond the simple reflex..................................................................................................................17
Interpreting reflexes further.............................................................................................................18
Lecture 4: methods for studying motor control...................................................................................19
Neural basis of human behaviour.....................................................................................................19
Neural basis of animal behaviour.....................................................................................................20
Electrical recordings.....................................................................................................................20
Optical recordings.........................................................................................................................21
Lecture 5: Locomotion..........................................................................................................................23
Basic locomotor movements............................................................................................................23
The decerebrate preparation...........................................................................................................23
Spinal cord circuits............................................................................................................................24
Midbrain/ Brainstem control............................................................................................................26
Cortical control.................................................................................................................................27
Lecture 6: Voluntary movement I (motor cortex).................................................................................28
Mapping motor cortex......................................................................................................................28
Motor cortex connectivity................................................................................................................29
Neural coding...................................................................................................................................30
Lecture 7: Voluntary movement II (parietal and premotor cortex)......................................................32
Movement planning.........................................................................................................................32
Integration of sensory information...................................................................................................32
Lecture 8: Neural decoding...................................................................................................................35
What is meant by decoding?........................................................................................................35
What is needed for neural decoding?...........................................................................................36
Population decoding.........................................................................................................................36
, Decoding reaching directions...........................................................................................................37
Decoding complete movements.......................................................................................................38
Lecture 9: Neural control of motor prostheses....................................................................................39
Needs and challenges of motor prostheses......................................................................................39
Acquiring the neural signals..............................................................................................................39
Computing the control signal...........................................................................................................40
Activating a natural limb...................................................................................................................40
Activating an artificial limb...............................................................................................................41
Integrating sensory feedback...........................................................................................................41
The future of brain-computed-interfaces (BCI)................................................................................41
Lecture 10: Posture..............................................................................................................................42
Body center of mass..........................................................................................................................42
Strategies for regaining a stable posture..........................................................................................42
Postural response.............................................................................................................................43
Synergies..........................................................................................................................................43
Muscular tuning curves.....................................................................................................................44
Postural corrections are dependent on context................................................................................44
Postural adjustments precede voluntary actions..............................................................................44
Fast tactile fibers..............................................................................................................................45
Body orients based on external stimuli.............................................................................................45
Information from a single sensory modality can be ambiguous.......................................................46
Spinal circuits are not sufficient for postural control........................................................................47
Spinocerebellum defect....................................................................................................................47
Basal ganglia defect (Parkinson)......................................................................................................48
Lecture 11: The cerebellum..................................................................................................................49
What are the general functions of the cerebellum...........................................................................49
Structure of the cerebellum.............................................................................................................50
Purkinje cell..................................................................................................................................51
Arrangement of the cerebellar circuit..........................................................................................51
Motor learning through rewards and error (CF)...............................................................................52
Functions of the cerebellar parts......................................................................................................53
The vestibulocerebellum..............................................................................................................53
The spinocerebellum....................................................................................................................53
The cerebrocerebellum................................................................................................................53
Lecture 12: Basal Ganglia......................................................................................................................55
Anatomy of the basal ganglia...........................................................................................................55
, Pathways of the basal ganglia...........................................................................................................55
Functions of the basal ganglia..........................................................................................................56
Diseases involving the basal ganglia.................................................................................................56