This document discusses voluntary motor control and the brain regions involved. The basal ganglia and cerebellum help modulate and plan movement. Within the basal ganglia, different regions receive input and output to different motor areas in a somatotopic organization. The cerebellum contains somatotopic maps and is divided into vestibulocerebellum, neocerebellum, and spinocerebellum. The primary motor cortex codes for force and direction of movement. Premotor areas encode sensorimotor transformations and fire before movement based on visual or sensory cues. Mirror neurons in the premotor cortex fire both when performing and observing specific motor acts.
2. Control of voluntary movement Idea Association cortex Premotor + Motor cortex Basal Ganglia Lateral cerebellum Movement Intermediate Cerebellum Execution Planning
37. Individual neurons in the ventral premotor area fire during specific hand actions only
38. A. Activity in the neuron as the monkey observes another monkey make a precision group. B. Activity in the same neuron as the monkey observes the human experimenter make the precision grip. C. Activity in the same neuron as the monkey itself performs a precision grip. (From Rizzolotti et al 1996.) Mirror Neurons