Motor systems - Overview

While sensory systems provide us with information about our own bodies and the environment, motor systems allow us to interact with that environment. Every movement, no matter how simple, is achieved through mechanisms that are most often very complex ^[130].

In fact, at every moment, the systems we are about to examine - pyramidal system, extrapyramidal system, and the cerebellum - synchronize their actions to produce fluid and correct movement ^[3].

The pyramidal system is at the heart of voluntary actions, the extrapyramidal system is composed of circuits and tracts that allow for the automation of movements, and the cerebellum ensures their coordination and any necessary correction.

The autonomic nervous system, as its name suggests, is not subject to voluntary control. Through its two branches - sympathetic and parasympathetic - it is responsible for controlling various internal organs in order to adapt their function to the different situations the organism may face.

Reflexes are motor shortcuts that also escape voluntary control. They allow us to avoid a threat even before we identify it, which is highly practical and often vital.

The autonomic nervous system and reflexes are somewhat unique in that they require both sensory and motor components.