Mimi and the voluntary movement

Adventures of Mimi :

Fronti, a neuron of the frontal cortex, is surprised that the order of movement that him and his colleagues sent to other neurons isn’t follow by confirmation of execution. He is a bit concerned. In the neighborhood, our friend Mimi the microglia decide to help to find where the movement order is blocked: she is going to follow the message to understand where the problem come from. She bring along with her in the journey another microglia, Boulie, pretty proud to “fear nothing”, but the journey will give hard time to this conception of herself.
 
From neurons who decide of movement in the brain to moto-neurons who manage the muscle directly, passing by all neurons that play a role in the creation of the action, Mimi is doing a exceptional trip fro mthe brain to the spinal cord. Along the adventure, she understand the importance of confirming order that are executed or not (via what we call “retro action loop” or feedback), and will discover the possibility of bypass in the brain, when a reflex happens.

Scientific knowledge :

 This story needs to be considered at a follow up of the first tale the adventures of Mimi (which present the basis to understand the functioning of the brain) aims to illustrate global notions of anatomis and physiologie o the nervous system related to movement, and to talk about pathology of movement. These pathology tend to induice misunderstanding and prejudices about disable people. We can sometimes think that they are cognitively disable but it’s not obligatory the case. Ths story is born after the proposition of Jennifer, that have cerebral motor infirmity, she contacted us because she wanted to popularize her disease.

For this aim, we present:

• the different cerebral areas, neurons involved when we decide to do a movement and they different role
• the moment when they are involved in the chain of action
• the place where they are in the body (in the brain but also in the spinal cord for other).
• the diference between involuntary movement, dignified in the brain and sent to concerned muscle, and a movement reflex.
• the retro action loop and the importance of verifying constantly the nervous message send from top to bottom.
• Different pathology of movement (for example the erebro motor infirmity), cause and consequences.

Références scientifiques :

• le cerveau à tous les nveaux specifically about movement, but the website have to be explored !
• a lecture about basal ganglia, another about voluntary movement, another about motor pathway (in case you still have doubt about something)
• advanced reading : a scientific article about glial cells and their disfunction in sclerosis and another about protection mechanism in spinal cord injury
• a very nice abstract
• if you want more information about Parkinson disease (take also a look at our comics)