These revision notes delve into the developmental programs that control brain wiring to understand the cues that trigger neurons to take the correct shape and connect with appropriate partners. My revision notes also concisely explore how understanding neural circuit assembly suggests ways of treat...
Brain circuits underlying motor control II. Control of voluntary versus involuntary
movement (‘Free will?’). Mirror neurons.
Main topics of lecture
• Types of movement – distinction between involuntary and voluntary
• Examples of involuntary behaviour – role of giant neurons and electrical synapses
• Examples of voluntary behaviour – ‘free will’ in flies and humans?
• Mirror neurons
Examples of automatic actions – startle behaviours :
(how are neuroanatomy, physiology, neural architecture and behaviour integrated?)
• Crayfish escape responses – anterior and posterior escape
• Fly – escape flight initiation (compare to “voluntary” take-off)
• A vertebrate example – the Mauthner cell circuit
Note the common occurrence of giant neurons and electrical synapses and simple circuits –
reducing the time required for initiating a behavioural action
Crayfish escape example
Hard wired involuntary motor action – startle and escape behaviour: Here a simple neural
architecture using rectifying electrical synapses produces two escape responses without
the brain having to bother itself with a “decision” between alternative responses
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