If you want to sound really smart, here's a good word to know that I learned today: dysdiadochokinesia (click for pronunciation).
We started learning about the cerebellum today, and if there is a problem with that part of the brain then you get dysdiadochokinesia, which is when you have problems with repetitive alternating movements. As an example, watch the short clip from the following video. When the boy switches to his left hand, you should see the difficulty he has moving his hand.
As the video demonstrates, the cerebellum is heavily involved in coordination of our motor neurons. It's like a central processing station that accounts for where your muscles are in space before deciding how to move them.
Our lecture today was actually hilarious, because Dr. Thalmann forgot to come... he mistakenly thought lecture started at 11 and not 10. In his absence, Dr. Goodman gave a fantastic 20 minute impromptu lecture on the cerebellum which was quite impressive. When Dr. T walked in the auditorium 30 minutes late there was an awkward dialogue between the two that was quite hilarious. Both of those professors are a great legacy to BCM.
Check out the fancy medical words series
I am a medical student at BCM and all thoughts are my own. I am not a doctor. Please read the disclaimer.
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