HLTH SC 1001

Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

Tutorial 6:
Sensation & Movement

Pre-Tutorial Questions:
Please complete the following questions BEFORE you attend the tutorial session.

Question 1.

Compare and contrast an upper and a lower motor neuron.

Upper neurons are cortical cells from the motor and pre motor brain areas

Lower neurons are from the brainstem and spinal cord and make up the descending tracts
that innervate muscles and cause contraction

Question 2.

A. Define Somatosensation.

The ability to perceive pressure, texture, pain & temperature through action potentials.

B. Compare and contrast the sensory information carried by the lateral spinothalamic
and dorsal-column medial lemniscus tracts.

- lateral spinothalamic tract;

- 2nd order neurons
- Axons immediately cross in spinal cord & head to thalamus
- Pain & temp

- 1st order neurons

- Axons synpase in dorsal horn
- it is located anterolaterally within the peripheral white matter of the spinal cord and is
responsible for transmitting pain & temperature.

- dorsal-column medial lemniscus tracts;

- 2nd order neurons:

- Axons cross in medulla & head to the thalamus

- 1st order neurons

- Axons ascend in dorsal columns

- Synpase in medulla
HLTH SC 1001
Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

- it is a sensory pathway of the CNS that conveys sensations of fine touch, vibration and
proprioception

Tutorial Questions:
Please attempt these questions before the tutorial session and have questions ready for your
tutor. You will go through answers as a tutorial group.

Question 3.

Where are the following located?

 Cell body of a sensory neuron: dorsal root ganglia

 Cell body of a motor neuron: Cerebral cortex – Upper motor neuron

Brainstem/ventral horn of spinal cord - LMN

 Peripheral process of a sensory neuron: peripheral nerves

 Axon terminal of a motor neuron innervating muscle: neuromuscular junction

HLTH SC 1001
Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

Question 4:

Label the diagram below with the following terms:

Mark the location of a lower motor neuron cell body.

Gray matter of the White matter of spinal cord
spinal cord
Dorsal root of spinal nerve

Dorsal root ganglion

Sensory receptor
Sensory neuron

Ventral root of spinal

nerve (carries motor)

Question 5
Fill in the red lines with the appropriate names for the white matter columns in the spinal
cord. What region of the spinal cord might this be?

Dorsal column

Lateral column

Ventral column

Question 6
HLTH SC 1001
Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

Shade in the region of the cerebral cortex in the below image and label the region:
(i) where sensation is represented and – post central gyrus (ii) where motor function is
represented precentral gyrus

Question 7

What is an example of a proprioceptor in muscle and what information does it sense?

Question 8

(a) Name the 3 inputs to alpha motor neurons.

(b) What is the difference between an alpha and a gamma motor neuron?

Question 9

What brain regions, other than the cerebral cortex, are important in the control of movement
and what are their functions?
Basal ganglia:
HLTH SC 1001
Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

Cerebellum:

Question 10

Jennifer reaches out to shake hands with her supervisor. Her supervisor has really rough
hands and has a very firm & painful handshake. Name the spinal tracts that are involved in
these actions and perceptions.

Question 11

For each of the following pathways, briefly describe its anatomy:

(1) corticospinal tract:

(2) Dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway:

(3) Lateral spinothalamic tract:

Question 12

Name the type of receptor that would respond to each of the following sensations:

(a) Pain:
(b) Temperature:
(c) Touch:
(d) Light:
(e) Taste:

Question 13
HLTH SC 1001
Essentials of Neuroscience 2020

Compare and contrast the types of axons used to sense fast versus slow pain. How does the
conduction speed of these fibres compare to those used to convey information about touch or
conscious proprioception?

Tutorial Activity:

Drawing time! Each group will be assigned a particular sensation. Working together in small
groups, use the whiteboard and markers provided to diagram how that sensation moves from
the receptor to the brain. A spokesperson from each group will present their diagram to the
class.

Sensations:
Fast Pain
Slow Pain
Vibration
Position Sense
Fine Touch
Crude Touch
Temperature

Move your mind: When you have finished your diagram, work with your group to generate a
list of 3 questions on the motor system. Exchange your questions with a neighbouring group
and attempt to answer the list of questions that they provide. Tutors will collect questions at
the end of the activity.