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Motor Function and ControlDescending Tracts
Published in Peter Kam, Ian Power, Michael J. Cousins, Philip J. Siddal, Principles of Physiology for the Anaesthetist, 2020
Peter Kam, Ian Power, Michael J. Cousins, Philip J. Siddal
The premotor cortex is responsible for generation of a plan for movements that involve external sensory (tactile, visual and spatial) input from the parietal lobe. The plan is transferred to primary motor cortex for execution. It is also involved in complex learned activities by coordinating contractions of specific muscles. The primary motor cortex is also involved in a motor loop from the cerebellum while the supplementary motor area forms a loop with the basal ganglia. These loops enable the cortex to coordinate and recruit specific motor activity.
Motor Aspects of Lateralization: Evidence for Evaluation of the Hypotheses of Chapter 8
Published in Robert Miller, Axonal Conduction Time and Human Cerebral Laterality, 2019
Thus, these studies find correlations between different tests of skill with the same effectors, but not between analogous tests with different effectors. However, although deficits to different effectors may be dissociated by lesions in different premotor regions, these deficits may still have a close formal analogy. Luria (1973, pp. 180-185) makes an explicit comparison between Broca’s aphasia (due to damage to the part of the left premotor cortex representing the vocal organs) and the motor deficits of limb co-ordination (after damage to the more medial parts of the premotor cortex). The premotor cortex as a whole is seen as responsible for the “conversion of individual motor impulses into consecutive kinetic melodies”. Hence damage to each part of the premotor cortex leads to a disturbance of skilled movements in the corresponding body part, which are no longer performed smoothly, so that “each component now requires its own isolated impulse.” With left sided damage this is shown in both upper limbs, and in speech. In each case, the intention to perform the movement or vocal gesture remains intact, as well as the general plan, but the actual execution of the plan is disrupted by “inertia of motor stereotypes” and “motor perseveration” (cyclic repetitive movements). These two features are seen in both Broca’s aphasia and the limb co-ordination difficulties which arise from lesions of the premotor cortex.
Tenets of Human Presence, Empathy, and Compassion
Published in Shamit Kadosh, Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar, Incorporating Psychotherapeutic Concepts and Interventions Within Medicine, 2019
Shamit Kadosh, Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar
The discovery of mirror neurons in 1990s ( Gallese et al., 1996) has led to a cross-disciplinary revolution in the study of empathy. Mirror neurons belong to a specialised group of neurons located in the premotor cortex and the inferior parietal cortex. When we observe other people’s activities, these neurons are activated and our brains stimulate what it is like to engage in that action. Some scientists have surmised that some areas in the brain, like the anterior cingulate cortex, interpret not only physical actions but also their associated emotional affect. Furthermore, studies indicate that for a motor neuron to be activated, we need to be affectively activated by observing the other (Gallese et al., 2002; Lamm & Singer, 2010; Reiss, 2010). In other words, being emotionally touched necessitates resonance; when we observe our patients’ pain and suffering, it needs to be affectively meaningful for us, to activate bodily resonance. These emotional bodily resonance systems are the basis of emotional intelligence, and allow us to feel the other through our own bodies by breaking the walls between us (Epstein, 2017). Research shows that while humans (doctors included) share neuroanatomical representations of pain, they experience the other’s pain in an attenuated form. That is to say the observer has the capability to experience the other’s pain to the extent that cultivates an empathic response without overwhelming the observer (Lamm et al., 2007; Singer & Lamm, 2009).
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of Motor Cortex Enhances Spike Performances of Professional Female Volleyball Players
Published in Journal of Motor Behavior, 2023
Seung-Bo Park, Doug Hyun Han, Junggi Hong, Jea-Woog Lee
In another aspect, although electrical stimulation was applied to the specific cortical area of M1 induced by tDCS in the present study, it might have affected adjacent areas, resulting in a somewhat more widespread area of target stimulation. This means that the premotor cortex, complex system of interconnected frontal lobe areas anterior to the primary motor cortex, s mainly responsible for motor functions. The upper motor neurons in the premotor cortex regulates motor behavior via extensive reciprocal connections with the primary motor cortex and axons projecting through the corticobulbar and corticospinal pathways that affect local circuit and lower motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem (Purves et al., 2001). In particular, the left dorsal premotor cortex activity is associated with complex motor coordination performance, meaning that tDCS has potential to improve visuomotor coordination (Pavlova et al., 2014). According to Tzvi et al. (2022), the cerebellum plays an essential role in the process of visuomotor adaptation. They noted that interaction with cortical structures, especially the premotor cortex, contributed mainly to this process. The cerebellum plays a central role in coordinating voluntary movements and motor skills including balance, coordination, and posture (Manto et al., 2012). These relationships suggest that activation of the premotor cortex and its interactions with the cerebellum could enhance the process of motor coordination by tDCS (Kwon et al., 2015; Tzvi et al., 2022).
A Cortical Parcellation Based Analysis of Ventral Premotor Area Connectivity
Published in Neurological Research, 2021
John R. Sheets, Robert G. Briggs, Nicholas B. Dadario, Isabella M. Young, Michael Y. Bai, Anujan Poologaindran, Cordell M. Baker, Andrew K. Conner, Michael E. Sughrue
As expected, the VPM and its associated parcellations show extensive connections with areas deemed to be within the more classic interpretation of the premotor area. The premotor cortex has long been associated with its ability to facilitate movement [60] and plays a significant role in the actions attributed to VPM. Considering VPM activity has been demonstrated in language acquisition, the connections observed between VPM, 55b, and 6r are consistent with those findings [17]. 55b and 6r are two areas that have been classically associated with numerous language function activities [61,62]. Additionally, area FEF is known to function in visual attention processes [63], an action likely critical for the VPM action observation/imitation functions [15–18]. These connections likely provide anatomical reasoning for these functional associations.
The Cognitive Demands of Gait Retraining in Runners: An EEG Study
Published in Journal of Motor Behavior, 2020
Tyler Whittier, Richard W. Willy, Gustavo Sandri Heidner, Samantha Niland, Caitlin Melton, J. C. Mizelle, Nicholas P. Murray
Performing a new task places a substantial cognitive effort on the brain as additional neural networks are recruited to accommodate the new demand. With the use of EEG, this new demand can be identified and tracked by observing specific cortical markers (Houdayer et al., 2016). For example, Houdayer et al. found mu rhythm task-related desynchronization across the premotor areas following two weeks of piano training which supported the hypothesis that the premotor cortex involved in cognitive planning for complex motor action during early skill learning. Recent investigations have identified EEG components that represent later learning, and changes in EEG as skill improves (Mathewson et al., 2012; Miraglia, Vecchio, & Rossini, 2018). Miraglia et al. (2018) demonstrated increases in neural efficiency due to an increase in alpha and frontal theta activity as a function of practice and performance improvement. Alpha power is also shown to modulate with task difficulty. Specifically, alpha power is inversely related to task difficulty and cognitive workload (Gentili et al., 2018). However, it is unclear how EEG might reflect modifying a well-learned task as is the case here. Many EEG studies have only tracked learning for motor skills that require small amplitude movements or examined learning using novel tasks (Mathewson et al., 2012; Rietschel et al., 2014). The idea of using EEG to recognize an increase in the neural efficiency of motor skill performance is somewhat novel (Marblestone, Wayne, & Kording, 2016).