In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly continue their MCAT brain anatomy series by tackling one of the most underrated topics on the exam: how the brain actually makes you move.
If you’ve ever thought “why are there so many brain parts just for movement?” this episode is your roadmap.
You’ll learn:
🧠 Motor cortex basics – where voluntary movement starts and why it lives in the frontal lobe
🚦 Basal ganglia as the gatekeeper – suppression vs initiation of movement, not just “on/off”
💊 Dopamine & Parkinson’s – substantia nigra, why dopamine loss causes bradykinesia, and why L-Dopa (not dopamine) works
🎭 Huntington’s disease – when the problem isn’t too little movement, but too much
🎯 Cerebellum & coordination – balance, smooth movements, and why alcohol messes it up
🔁 How these brain regions connect to motor neurons, muscle contraction, and earlier muscle episodes
📚 MCAT-style takeaways – what the test actually expects you to recognize in passages and questions
You’ll also hear:
How to think about initiation → coordination → execution of movement in a simple, testable way
How to use real life (walking, writing, sports, feeling off-balance, being sleepy) as built-in “flashcards” for MCAT physics, bio, and psych/soc
If motor cortex vs basal ganglia vs cerebellum all blur together for you, this episode will finally separate them in your head.
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