Upper Motor Neuron - Lesions

Lesions

Damage to the descending motor pathways anywhere along the trajectory from the cerebral cortex to the lower end of the spinal cord gives rise to a set of symptoms called the "upper motor neuron syndrome". Signs may appear over days or weeks following brain or spinal cord damage, including muscle weakness, decreased motor control including a loss of the ability to perform fine movements, increased vigor (and decreased threshold) of spinal reflexes including spasticity, and an extensor plantar response known as the Babinski sign.