Skeletal motor System

1. Which of the following best describes the final common pathway in the skeletal motor system?

• a) Motor neurons in the spinal cord are responsible for sensory feedback.

• b) Alpha-motoneurons innervate muscles to produce voluntary movements.

• c) Reflex circuits are exclusively responsible for motor actions.

• d) The motor nuclei control sensory processing in the spinal cord.

2. What is the primary function of muscle spindles in the skeletal motor system?

• a) Act as length sensors and adjust muscle tension.

• b) Transmit sensory information from muscles to the brain.

• c) Control the force of muscle contractions during voluntary movements.

• d) Inhibit motor neurons to prevent overstretching of muscles.

3. Golgi tendon organs (GTOs) are involved in providing feedback about:

• a) Muscle tension.

• b) Muscle length.

• c) Joint position.

• d) Muscle contraction speed.

4. Which descending motor pathway is responsible for controlling posture and balance?

• a) Corticospinal tract.

• b) Reticulospinal tract.

• c) Tectoreticulospinal tract.

• d) Vestibulospinal tract.

5. What is the primary role of the primary motor cortex (M1)?

• a) Planning complex movements.

• b) Encoding movement parameters like direction, force, and speed.

• c) Providing sensory feedback during movements.

• d) Controlling posture and balance.

6. Which theory proposes that motor control signals are noisy and movement variability depends on the control signal?

• a) Optimal Feedback Control Theory.

• b) Fitt’s law.

• c) Optimal Motor Control Theory.

• d) Dorsal Stream Theory.

7. How do neurons in the premotor cortex (PM) differ from those in the primary motor cortex (M1)?

• a) Neurons in PM are primarily involved in sensory processing.

• b) Neurons in PM respond only to tactile stimulation.

• c) PM neurons are more involved in movements guided by sensory information.

• d) PM neurons are restricted to simple movement sequences.

8. Which of the following statements regarding the hierarchical organization of the motor system is correct?

• a) The spinal cord controls voluntary movements through descending pathways.

• b) The premotor cortex is part of the final common pathway for motor actions.

• c) Cortical movement control areas are mainly responsible for reflex responses.

• d) The basal ganglia and cerebellum are involved in primary motor cortex functions.

9. What is the main function of the superior colliculus in the skeletal motor system?

• a) Encoding movement parameters.

• b) Planning complex movements.

• c) Specifying desired saccade vectors.

• d) Generating smooth pursuit eye movements.

10. Which pathway is primarily responsible for transmitting sensory feedback to the brainstem and spinal cord during voluntary movements?

• a) Vestibulospinal tract.

• b) Tectoreticulospinal tract.

• c) Corticospinal tract.

• d) Reticulospinal tract.