Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

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.

Somatosensation

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.

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...

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,...

Sensory Modalities

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Loudness changes as a function of the audiovisual scene.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Prediction Gone Awry: A Computational Framework for Emotion Dysregulation Across Autism and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology·2026

Same author

The Role of Movement on the Development of the Audiotactile Temporal Binding Window.

Developmental science·2026

Same author

Efficacy of electronic travel aids for the blind and visually impaired during wayfinding.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Learning visual to auditory sensory substitution reveals flexibility in image to sound mapping.

NPJ science of learning·2025

Same author

Sex-Specific, Intermediate Behavioral Phenotypes in Heterozygous Dopamine Transporter Mutant DAT T356M Mice.

Genes, brain, and behavior·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 22, 2015

The development of cortical multisensory integration.

Mark T Wallace¹, Brian N Carriere, Thomas J Perrault

¹Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA. mark.wallace@vanderbilt.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|November 17, 2006

Summary

Multisensory integration in cat association cortex (AES) is immature at birth and develops gradually. This suggests higher-order sensory processing emerges later in development.

More Related Videos

Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects

Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects

Published on: May 10, 2019

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 22, 2015

Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects

Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects

Published on: May 10, 2019

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience
Sensory Processing

Background:

Current understanding of multisensory development relies heavily on midbrain studies (superior colliculus).
Higher-order cortical regions' maturational profiles are less understood.
The anterior ectosylvian sulcus (AES) is a key area of cat association cortex for multisensory integration.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the maturation of multisensory processes within the cat's anterior ectosylvian sulcus (AES).
To characterize the developmental timeline of sensory and multisensory neuron emergence and function in the AES.

Main Methods:

Examined the maturation of sensory and multisensory neurons in the AES across different postnatal ages in cats.
Assessed the sequence of sensory responsiveness and the development of integrative capacity in AES neurons.

Main Results:

AES contains distinct visual, auditory, and somatosensory areas with multisensory neurons at borders.
Somatosensory and auditory/multisensory neurons appear by 4 weeks; visual and visually responsive multisensory neurons emerge by 12 weeks.
Early multisensory neurons show immature integrative capacity, which matures with postnatal development.

Conclusions:

Multisensory processes in the AES are rudimentary in early postnatal life and mature gradually.
The delayed maturation of AES multisensory integration suggests late emergence of associated higher-order cognitive functions.