Master of Movement – The Motor Cortex
This part of the brain, located in the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe, is responsible for initiating voluntary motor movement.
What is the primary motor cortex?
This cranial nerve is responsible for the sense of smell.
What is CN I – Olfactory?
The autonomic nervous system has two divisions that work in opposition to maintain homeostasis — name them.
What are the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems?
This brain structure functions as an “error control–adjusting device” that monitors and refines ongoing motor activity for precision and coordination.
What is the cerebellum?
This acquired language disorder involves impairment in one or more areas such as comprehension, naming, repetition, reading, or writing, and can be classified as fluent or nonfluent.
What is aphasia?
This cortical area works closely with the primary motor cortex to set up skilled movement patterns before they’re executed.
What is the premotor cortex?
This cranial nerve controls most eyeball movements, eyelid elevation, and the pupillary reflex — and damage can result in ptosis.
What is CN III – Oculomotor?
This limbic structure is primarily responsible for learning and memory.
What is the hippocampus?
The cerebellum refines movements through this process, in which it compares intended motor commands with sensory feedback from the body.
What is error correction or feedback monitoring?
This motor speech disorder involves difficulty programming the sequence of sounds for speech, leading to inconsistent errors and visible groping behaviors.
What is apraxia of speech?
The face and mouth occupy a disproportionately large area on the motor homunculus because of this functional reason.
What is the complexity and fine control required for speech movements?
This mixed cranial nerve provides sensory input to the face and mouth and motor output to the muscles of mastication.
What is CN V – Trigeminal?
Known as the brain’s emotional amplifier, stimulation of this structure can trigger fear, aggression, or drive-related behaviors.
What is the amygdala?
The cerebellum does not initiate movement but contributes to this type of learning and memory that allows for smooth, automatic skilled actions.
What is motor learning and motor memory?
A patient whose speech sounds “drunken” or uncoordinated, with irregular rhythm, variable stress, and sudden bursts of loudness likely has this type of dysarthria.
What is ataxic dysarthria?
Because the basal ganglia circuit contains no upper or lower motor neurons, lesions here do not cause paralysis but instead result in this type of motor control disturbance.
What is dyskinesia (loss of inhibitory control or abnormal movement)?
A lesion of this cranial nerve causes the uvula to deviate toward the strong side; it also innervates all intrinsic laryngeal muscles except the cricothyroid.
What is CN X – Vagus?
This small but powerful structure regulates autonomic and visceral behaviors such as hunger, thirst, temperature, and hormone control.
What is the hypothalamus?
Damage to the cerebellum can result in loss of precision, erratic movement trajectory, and reduced smoothness — symptoms collectively described by this general term.
What is ataxia?
Characterized by harsh, strained, and strangled vocal quality with a slow rate and low pitch, this dysarthria results from bilateral upper motor neuron damage.
What is spastic dysarthria?
If a lesion occurs above the point of pyramidal decussation, the resulting motor signs will appear on this side of the body relative to the lesion.
What is the contralateral side?
Damage to this cranial nerve causes the tongue to deviate toward the weak side, with the specific side of weakness depending on whether the lesion is upper or lower motor neuron in origin.
What is CN XII – Hypoglossal?
This network of neurons extends through the brainstem and integrates sensory and motor input with emotion and cognition; it’s best known for regulating cortical arousal and wakefulness.
What is the reticular formation?
Beyond motor control, modern research suggests the cerebellum also contributes to refining and coordinating these two higher-level human processes.
What are cognitive and communicative functions?
This type of neurogenic speech disorder results from weakness or paralysis of the speech musculature, producing hypernasal, breathy speech with imprecise consonants.
What is flaccid dysarthria?