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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.

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...

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.

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,...

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

Published on: January 29, 2014

Physiological and anatomical evidence for multisensory interactions in auditory cortex.

Jennifer K Bizley¹, Fernando R Nodal, Victoria M Bajo

¹Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK. jennifer.bizley@physiol.ox.ac.uk

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|December 1, 2006

Summary

Visual stimuli influence auditory cortex activity in ferrets, enhancing information transmission when paired with sound. This cross-modal integration is common in auditory areas, particularly higher-level ones.

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Stereotactically-guided Ablation of the Rat Auditory Cortex, and Localization of the Lesion in the Brain

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Auditory Neuroscience
Multisensory Integration

Background:

Cortical areas typically process specific sensory information.
Primate studies suggest cross-modal influences on sensory processing exist.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate visual influences on auditory cortex activity in ferrets.
To quantify information transmission under multisensory stimulation.

Main Methods:

Single-unit recordings in anesthetized ferrets.
Mutual information analysis of neural responses.
Neural tracer studies to map connections.

Main Results:

Visual stimuli modulated activity in auditory cortex units.
Paired visual-auditory stimulation increased information transmission compared to single modalities.
Non-auditory inputs were found in 15% of primary auditory cortex units, increasing in higher auditory fields.
Direct projections from visual to auditory cortex were identified.

Conclusions:

Multisensory convergence is a fundamental property of auditory cortical areas.
Higher auditory fields exhibit more prevalent visual-auditory integration.
Neural pathways facilitate cross-modal influences from visual to auditory cortices.