preview

Major Motor Pathways Case Study

Decent Essays

Look at Table 8.1 in which Carlson summarizes the Major Motor Pathways; consider the related cortical and subcortical structures controlling movement. Then consider the relationship between alpha motor neurons and extrafusal muscle fibers. Sir Charles Sherrington stated that the alpha motor neuron (which is also referred to as the lower motor neuron) is the final common pathway. As psychologists, this notion of the final common pathway being comprised of lower motor neuron axons is very important to us. Considering the above information, why would Sherrington and everyone since refer to the alpha motor neuron as the final common pathway? Incorporate neuroanatomical information about motor systems to support your explanation. The alpha motor …show more content…

The lateral corticospinal tract controls distal parts of the arms, hands, and fingers that are a part of the lower legs, feet and toes. Signals move down these tracts through a chain of events leading to the final common pathway. The primary motor cortex and supplementary motor cortex send their axons through the corticospinal tract. The axons then make their way through subcortical white matter to the ventral midbrain and enter the cerebral peduncles (in the medulla). Once the axons leave the peduncles, they form the pyramidal tracts. The fibers then cross over and descend to the contralateral spinal cord, consequently forming the lateral corticospinal tract. Other fibers, however, go through the ipsilateral spinal cord and form the ventral corticospinal tract. As the axons make their way down the lateral corticospinal tract, they form synapse with the lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the spinal cord. These lower motor neurons are what control the muscles of the arms, hands and …show more content…

On top of the nasal cavity, lies the olfactory epithelium (mucous tissue that covers the cribriform plate and contains the cilia necessary for olfactory receptors). The process starts when air enters the nasal cavity and makes its way to the olfactory receptors. These olfactory receptors are located in the olfactory epithelium and contain many bipolar neurons. These receptors send processes to the epithelium where it divides into 10 to 20 cilia. Molecules of odor then must dissolve in the mucus and stimulate the receptors in the cilia, which detect aromatic molecules. Next, each olfactory receptor cell sends an axon into the olfactory bulb, which is located at the end of the olfactory tract. Here, it forms synapse with dendrites of mitral cells (neurons of olfactory bulb), which takes place in the dendritic and axonal aborizations, called the olfactory glomeruli. From there, the axons travel to the rest of the brain, some terminating in the ipsilateral forebrain and contralateral olfactory bulb.
Furthermore, the axons of the olfactory tract project to either the amygdala, piriform cortex (region of limbic cortex) and the entorhinal cortex (region of the limbic cortex). From the amygdala, information then is sent to the hypothalamus. The entorhinal cortex sends its information to the hippocampus. The piriform cortex takes its information to the hypothalamus and orbitofrontal cortex

Get Access