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After talking about motor control in class on Thursday, Iwas wondering what the differences were between the precentral gyrus and theother parts of the brain that control muscle movement like the medulla, thereticular formation, etc. In class we learned that when you stimulate the otherparts of the brain, a coordinated movement occurs, but when you stimulate themotor cortex, there will be random movement in the area that you havestimulated, but that movement will be uncoordinated and random. I always thoughtthat the parts of the neocortex are more sophisticated then the lower parts ofthe nervous system. Why is it that an area like the medulla, which is usuallythought of as a primitive part of the brain can make someone walk, while theneocortex, which is supposed to contain amazing things like morality and reasoncan’t even produce a coordinated movement. I’m guessing that because mostcoordinated movements do not required the I-function (walking, picking up anobject, etc.), the I-function may not be located in the “lower” parts of thenervous system, but rather in the neocortex. Because it takes extra steps toscreen stimuli through the I-function, it may be necessary to give theresponsibility of movement to the parts of the brain that do not require theI-function to function.