motor neurones travel down the corticospinal tract from the cortex of the brain, their end pathway is the pyramids of medulla.

while on route some neurone branch off and synapse onto brainstem nuclei (known as corticonuclear or corticobulbar tracts) this provides for muscles of the head, neck and face.

on this corticonuclear tract there are 4 other branches

• Vestibulospinal - Balance, extensors
• Reticulospinal - Posture, extensors/flexors
• Tectospinal - Head movements, sight
• Rubrospinal - Flexors

corticospinal = pyramidal tract it is the same thing

the original corticospinal tract branches into the lateral & anterior corticospinal tract

location of motor cortex - occupies 1/3 of frontal lobes.

3 areas

primary motor cortex - excitation of a single UMN usually excites a specific movement- not one specific muscle eg throwing, standing.

premotor area - sets up a pattern which the primary motor complex can add detail onto. it is involved in planning the movement. e.g. if Fraser trine hit someone with a blue box the pattern would be him swinging his arm, it is refined my the primary motor complex e.g. flicking of the wrist and extension of the finger (the detail that is needed to complete the task).

Planning also occurs in the premotor area, so when you are hit on the head by the blue box. your premotor area comes up with the plan to run down and hit whoever threw it at you (when you are drunk planning is usually carried out without applying inhibition or higher function to that idea)