Voluntary Movement

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Figure 18—43. Diagram of circuitry involved in voluntary movement. In general, voluntary movements are decided by prefrontal cortex, selected by premotor cortex, and executed by the motor area of the cerebral cortex. The motor area drives voluntary movement via four descending tracts that impact motor units through interneurons. The selection of desired movements and suppression of unwanted movements involves basal nuclei circuits that inhibit thalamic projections to the motor cortex (ventral rostral (VR) nucleus). The cerebellum corrects errors in ongoing movements via cerebellar nuclei that excite thalamic projections to the motor cortex (ventral lateral (VL) nucleus). The brain image inset shows locations of the motor area, premotor area, and prefrontal cortex (PFC).

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