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Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

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...

Perception of Sound Waves

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development

EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development

Published on: April 9, 2014

Action-perception connection and the cortical mu rhythm.

¹Brain Research Unit, Low Temperature Laboratory and Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Helsinki University of Technology, Otakaari 3A, Espoo, 02015 TKK, Finland. hari@neuro.hut.fi

Progress in Brain Research

|October 31, 2006

Summary

The rolandic mu rhythm has 10-Hz and 20-Hz components. Its 20-Hz motor cortex activity reveals how the human sensorimotor system links action, perception, and the environment.

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Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

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Published on: July 26, 2019

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Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development

EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development

Published on: April 9, 2014

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Published on: July 26, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Human sensorimotor system research

Background:

The rolandic mu rhythm is an electroencephalographic signal originating from the sensorimotor cortex.
It exhibits distinct frequency bands, notably around 10 Hz and 20 Hz.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the functional significance of the rolandic mu rhythm's frequency components.
To explore the role of the 20-Hz mu rhythm component in sensorimotor processing.

Main Methods:

Analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) data.
Focus on the reactivity of the 20-Hz mu rhythm component.

Main Results:

The rolandic mu rhythm comprises approximately 10-Hz and 20-Hz frequency components.
Reactivity of the 20-Hz component is particularly informative.

Conclusions:

The 20-Hz component of the mu rhythm offers insights into sensorimotor system function.
It illuminates the integration of action, perception, and environmental interaction.