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Motor Pathways - Anatomy & Physiology (view source)
Revision as of 15:47, 21 October 2011
, 15:47, 21 October 2011→Introduction
[[File:Spinal_cord_tracts_-_English.png|thumb|right|450px|Spinal Cord Tracts]]
[[File:Spinal_cord_tracts_-_English.png|thumb|right|450px|Spinal Cord Tracts]]
==Introduction==
==Introduction==
Motor pathways carry signals from the brain to the [[Muscles - Anatomy & Physiology#Skeletal Muscle|skeletal muscle]] and [[Muscles_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Smooth_Muscle|smooth muscle]] such as those contained in glands. The system consists of [[Spinal_Cord_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Upper_Motor_Neuron_.28UMN.29|upper]] and [[Spinal_Cord_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Lower_Motor_Neuron_.28LMN.29|lower]] motor neurones. The information provided below is primarily focussed on the motor pathways that coordinate skeletal muscle movement, i.e. motor pathways related to voluntary control of skeletal muscles.
Motor pathways carry signals from the brain to [[Muscles - Anatomy & Physiology#Skeletal Muscle|skeletal muscle]] and [[Muscles_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Smooth_Muscle|smooth muscle]] such as those contained in glands. The system consists of [[Spinal_Cord_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Upper_Motor_Neuron_.28UMN.29|upper]] and [[Spinal_Cord_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Lower_Motor_Neuron_.28LMN.29|lower]] motor neurones. The information provided below is primarily focussed on the motor pathways that coordinate skeletal muscle movement, i.e. motor pathways related to voluntary control of skeletal muscles.
==Motor Pathways==
==Motor Pathways==
The connections between the [[Forebrain_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Motor_Cortex|motor cortex]] in the forebrain and motor neurons within the spinal cord are made up of two pyramidal tracts; the '''Pyramidal System''' and the '''Extrapyramidal System'''. These motor pathways are transmitted via ventral horns within the spine. Upper motor neurones are located mainly within the neopallium of the [[Hindbrain - Anatomy & Physiology#Cerebellum|cerebellum]]. They govern the excitation or inhibition of lower motor neurones.
The connections between the [[Forebrain_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#Motor_Cortex|motor cortex]] in the forebrain and motor neurons within the spinal cord are made up of two pyramidal tracts; the '''Pyramidal System''' and the '''Extrapyramidal System'''. These motor pathways are transmitted via ventral horns within the spine. Upper motor neurones are located mainly within the neopallium of the [[Hindbrain - Anatomy & Physiology#Cerebellum|cerebellum]]. They govern the excitation or inhibition of lower motor neurones.