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SUMMARY:A V HILL LECTURE - The cortex and the hand of the primate: a speci
 al relationship - Professor Roger Lemon\, Sobell Chair of Neurophysiology\
 , Institute of Neurology\, University College London
DTSTART:20180226T180000Z
DTEND:20180226T190000Z
UID:TALK78011@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Beverley Larner
DESCRIPTION:AV Hill’s paramount interest was of course in muscle functio
 n. Sherrington famously coined the phrase ‘To move things is all that ma
 nkind can do ... for such the sole executant is muscle\, whether in whispe
 ring a syllable or in felling a forest”. The close relationship between 
 the cerebral cortex and movements of the hand is underlined by the presenc
 e of descending corticospinal fibres with direct cortico-motoneuronal (CM)
  connections\, first described by Sherrington\, that are particularly stro
 ng to the motoneurons supplying the thumb muscles. There is also a close r
 elationship established by rapid somatosensory feedback pathways that brin
 gs tactile information from the glabrous skin of the hand to bear on motor
  cortex output neurons. This special sensorimotor relationship is of parti
 cular importance for skilled use of the hand as it engages in an enormous 
 variety of technological and cultural activities\, including tool manufact
 ure and use. Although a motor cortex and corticospinal tract are highly co
 nserved features of all mammalian brains\, there are major species differe
 nces in the organisation of the cortex and its corticospinal projection. I
  shall discuss a number of interrelated features exhibited by the primate 
 corticospinal system\, which give some clues as to how a number of differe
 nt functions might be mediated. The cortical control of the hand in the pr
 imate is particularly vulnerable to neurological disease\, including strok
 e and spinal injury. In some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis\, the 
 pattern of muscle weakness and wasting closely follows the distribution of
  CM projections\, suggesting that such forms are a primate-specific diseas
 e that may be spread through CM connections. \n\n
LOCATION:Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre\, Department of Chemistry
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