Cerebellum. One of the structures in the brain that is highly involved in movement is the cerebellum, which the second largest structure of the brain, and is located in the back of the brain. The cerebellum’s central function is to coordinate movements by positioning and controlling the muscles in response to sensory input. Additionally, the cerebellum’s is a storage area for procedural memories, which are memories of acquired motor skills. Lastly, the cerebellum controls both balance and equilibrium (Stannard, L., 2011). Damage to the cerebellum can cause: loss of coordination of motor movement (asynergia), difficulty in judging …show more content…
The motor cortex is involved in many of the movement abilities of the body. The motor cortex is made up of three parts: the primary motor cortex, the pre-motor area, and the supplementary motor area. The primary motor cortex manages muscle contractions on the same side of the body. This is needed for movement. The pre-motor region receives the incoming sensory information needed for the body to move, and the supplementary motor coordinates complex movements. The motor cortex is not the only area that is involved with voluntary movements; the prefrontal cortex and the posterior parietal cortex are also involved (Stannard, L., 2011). Damage, or lesions, to the motor cortex may cause paralysis or difficulty initiating voluntary motor control. Any paralysis will occur on the contralateral part of the body, so if there is injury to the right side of the cortex, the left side of the body will be affected. Injury to this area can also interfere with the learning of motor