In gait initiation, anticipatory postural adjustments are coordinated by brainstem networks along with which cortical area?

• A. Primary visual cortex
• B. Supplementary motor area
• C. Auditory cortex
• D. Occipital lobe

Answer: (B)

Anticipatory postural adjustments before a step are planned and timed feeds from motor planning areas that work with brainstem networks to set up the body for movement. The supplementary motor area provides the preparation and sequencing signals for internally generated actions like gait initiation, shaping the direction and timing of the postural adjustments. It sends commands to brainstem pathways, such as reticulospinal circuits, to mobilize the appropriate trunk and proximal muscles just before the step. Sensory processing regions, like primary visual, auditory, or occipital areas, handle perception, not the motor planning and coordination of these anticipatory postures, so they don’t fit as the cortical partner in this control loop.