Neuroscience Analysis of Occupational Performance (OCTH 455)
and
Neuroscience (PTRS 850)
Motor Systems Review: Question #1

The Question

Diagram the primary circuitry which is responsible for initiation of motor behavior.

The Answer

The basal ganglia play the major role in controlling initiation of motor behavior. Your diagram should include a) the sensorimotor cortex (source), b) the caudate and the putamen nuclei (input), c) the globus pallidus nucleus (output). The d) substantia nigra connects to the caudate and putamen to modulate activity in these nuclei, the e) subthalamus has reciprocal connections with the globus pallidus and modulates the output of the basal ganglia. Output activity from the basal ganglia primarily is directed back to the sensorimotor cortex through the f) ventral anterior and g) ventral lateral nuclei of the thalamus.

Note that the basal ganglia do not have direct contact with motor output (exit) pathways or targets, but the basal ganglia do influence the activity of these neurons.

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