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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Cerebral Hemispheres01:05

Cerebral Hemispheres

The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...
Lobes of the Cerebrum01:22

Lobes of the Cerebrum

The cerebral cortex, a critical structure of the brain, is intricately divided into two hemispheres, each consisting of four distinct lobes: occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal. These lobes function cooperatively to regulate various cognitive and sensory functions, forming the basis of our complex neural capabilities.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.
Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
09:49

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Does the right side know what the left is doing?

M Koltzenburg1, P D Wall, S B McMahon

  • 1Dept of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Germany.

Trends in Neurosciences
|April 13, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Peripheral nerve damage triggers effects on the opposite side of the body, suggesting unknown signaling pathways. The spinal cord may be a key area for studying these transmedian signaling systems.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neurobiology
  • Spinal Cord Research

Background:

  • Peripheral nerve lesions induce contralateral effects, mirroring ipsilateral changes but with reduced magnitude and duration.
  • The biological significance of these contralateral effects remains unclear, but they indicate undiscovered signaling mechanisms connecting body sides.
  • Evidence suggests central nervous system mechanisms, rather than peripheral ones, mediate these effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the signaling mechanisms underlying contralateral effects following peripheral nerve lesions.
  • To explore the role of the spinal cord and its commissural interneurons in transmedian signaling.
  • To determine if chemical signals, such as growth factors, are involved in these contralateral changes.

Main Methods:

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Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury
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Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury

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Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
09:49

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
05:36

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury
07:06

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  • Review of existing literature on contralateral effects post-nerve injury.
  • Analysis of evidence favoring central over peripheral signaling pathways.
  • Proposal of the spinal cord as a model system for studying transmedian signaling.

Main Results:

  • Contralateral effects following peripheral nerve lesions are well-documented.
  • Central mechanisms, particularly involving commissural interneurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, are implicated.
  • Chemical signals, potentially growth factors, are hypothesized to mediate these transmedian effects.

Conclusions:

  • Unrecognized signaling mechanisms link the two sides of the body following peripheral nerve lesions.
  • The spinal cord offers a tractable model for investigating these transmedian signaling systems.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise nature of these chemical signals and their role in neural plasticity.