Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ED II, 18/11/2011
Extrapyramidal system includes all the motor centres and pathways that lie outside the pyramidal system and are beyond voluntary control. Extrapyramidal system:
coordinates movements of various groups of muscles both in space and time, regulates job- and sport-specific automatic movements consisting of periodic elements (e.g. walking, running, riding a bike, dancing, driving a car, handwriting or typing, etc.), controls emotional movements, helps to control posture and balance, regulates muscle tone.
Just a sketch: only the principal components can be recognized. PYRAMIDAL SYSTEM
Colours, beauty, harmony, regularity, but not more than an abstract art. EXTRAPYRAMIDAL SYSTEM
Does he move?
Is there any harmony, beauty, regularity in his movement? Is the posture and balance O.K? NO the lack of extrapyramidal functions
I do not state that alcohol switches off the extrapyramidal system selectively, it is just used as an example!
CORTICONUCLEAR TRACT
CORTICOSPINAL TRACT
Pyramidal system is the chief organizer and executor of voluntary movements. Upper motoneurons are located in the cerebral cortex, while lower motoneurons can be found in the motor nuclei of cranial nerves or in the spinal ventral horn.
Descending axons of upper motoneurons that terminate in the motor nuclei of cranial nerves and in the spinal cord constitute the corticonuclear and corticospinal tracts, respectively. The corticonuclear tract reaches the lower motoneurons of both sides (bilateral innervation), while corticospinal fibres target the lower motoneurons of the opposite side only (crossed pathway).
cortical areas
caudate nucl. thalamus putamen globus pallidus zona incerta, subthalamic nucl. substantia nigra, red nucleus, reticular formation, superior collicle cerebellum, pontine nuclei, inferior olivary nucl.
vestibular apparatus
cortex corticostriatal tract putamen pallidum lenticular ansa and fascicle thalamus VA/VL thalamocortical tract cortex
cortex corticopontine tracts pontine nuclei pontocerebellar tract cerebellum cerebellothalamic tract thalamus VA/VL thalamocortical tract cortex
cortex corticopontine tracts pontine nuclei pontocerebellar tract cerebellum cerebellorubral tract red nucleus rubrothalamic tract thalamus VA/VL thalamocortical tract cortex
striatum globus pallidus pallidotegmental tract mesencephalic reticular formation reticulothalamic tract thalamus IL/CM striatum
thalamus
thalamic fascicle
H1
ZI
globus pallidus
FORELLS FIELDS
H2
SN
vestibulocerebellar tr. cerebellovestibular tr. olivocerebellar tr. cerebello-olivary tr. reticulocerebellar tr. cerebelloreticular tr. pallidum - subthalamus nigrostriatal tr. (dopamine) striatonigral tr. (GABA)
Reciprocal connections
Further connections
rubrospinal tr.
tectospinal tr. reticulospinal tr. vestibulospinal tr.
Structures involved in motor functions that lie outside the pyramidal system and are beyond voluntary control of movements. Extrapyramidal system controls automatic, repetitive, emotional movements as well as the posture and balance. Extrapyramidal centres are mainly interconnected by closed loops. From the loops descending efferents arise and target the same lower motoneurons as the pyramidal tracts.
side of origin
uncrossed tracts
CSl
ReS
RuS
ReS
CSa OlS
VeS
TeS
CSl: lateral corticospinal, CSa: anterior corticospinal, RuS: rubrospinal, ReS: reticulospinal, VeS: vestibulospinal, OlS: olivospinal, TeS: tectospinal
alpha motoneurons to extrafusal muscle fibres gamma motoneurons to intrafusal fibres of muscle spindles (gamma-loop)
Gamma-loop
gamma motoneuron
alpha motoneuron
Skeletal muscles can be activated directly, by the stimulation of alpha-motoneurons or indirectly, via the gamma loop proprioceptive reflex arc. Stimulation of gamma-motoneurons results in the contraction of intrafusal fibres of muscle spindles. Shorthening of the muscle spindle (similarly to the stretching of the surrounding muscles) activates the proprioceptive reflex arc. This results in the indirect contraction of extrafusal (working) muscle fibres.
alpha motoneurons to extrafusal muscle fibres gamma motoneurons to intrafusal fibres of muscle spindles (gamma-loop)
Corticonuclear and corticospinal fibres may terminate directly on alpha-motoneurons (innervating muscles of eyeballs and fingers), but more frequently the connection is indirect and is performed through an interneuron.
Extrapyramidal pathways predominantly target gammamotoneurons (directly or indirectly) and initiate movements via the gamma-loop and the proprioceptive reflex arc.
extrapyramidal
basal ganglia
thalamus
brainstem
CEREBELLUM
spinocerebellar tracts
lower motoneurons
sensory feedback
Movement disorders
Facial palsy
Cerebrovascular deseases involving the internal capsule may disrupt fibres descending from the cortex to the motor facial nucleus. If the internal capsule is injured on one side, functions of muscles of the upper face are not altered, but mimetic muscles around the mouth will be paralyzed. As the latter muscles receive descending fibres only from the contralateral cortex, symptomes appear contralateral to the injury. (Central facial palsy)
If the facial nerve is injured, all the mimetic muscles are paralyzed on the side of damage. (Periferal facial palsy)
Parkinsons desease
Cardinal symptomes: tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement and postural instability. Idiopathic (having no known cause). Dopamine production of neurons within the substantia nigra is impaired, so there is lack of dopamine in the striatum. Medical treatment: levodopa - precursor of dopamine, passes the blood-brain barrier and transforms into dopamine (and many-many other pills not mentioned now)
dopaminergic
GABAergic
People with parkinsonism who have enhanced the public's awareness include Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.