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

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...

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...

Lobes of the Cerebrum

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.

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Traumatic Microbleeds in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Stability, Distribution, and Association with Other Injuries.

Journal of neurotrauma·2025

Same author

Imprints of extreme prematurity on functional brain networks in school-aged children and adolescents.

NeuroImage·2025

Same author

Executive functions and processing speed in covert cerebral small vessel disease.

European journal of neurology·2024

Same author

Dependence of rhythmic activity and oddball effects in the rat cortex on the depth of sedation during dissociative anesthesia.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2024

Same author

Recanalization status and temporal evolution of early ischemic changes following stroke thrombectomy.

European stroke journal·2023

Same author

Subjective vs informant-reported cognitive complaints have differential clinical significance in covert cerebral small vessel disease.

Cerebral circulation - cognition and behavior·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Processing of auditory and visual location information in the monkey prefrontal cortex.

Denis Artchakov¹, Dmitry Tikhonravov, Virve Vuontela

¹Neuroscience Unit, Institute of Biomedicine/physiology, Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences/Physiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.

Experimental Brain Research

|March 29, 2007

Summary

This study explored how the brain processes auditory and visual spatial working memory. Findings suggest both separate and combined processing of sensory information in the prefrontal cortex.

More Related Videos

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Published on: December 11, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Published on: December 11, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Primate Neurophysiology

Background:

Visuospatial working memory is well-studied in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFCd).
Auditory spatial working memory is less understood despite its behavioral importance.
Research is needed on single-cell mechanisms for auditory and visual spatial working memory.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate neuronal mechanisms of auditory and visual spatial working memory.
Examine single-cell activity in the PFCd during spatial working memory tasks.
Determine modality-specific versus modality-independent processing in PFCd.

Main Methods:

Recorded neuronal activity in nonhuman primates.
Utilized a delayed matching-to-sample task (DMTS).
Presented auditory and visual stimuli to test spatial memory.

Main Results:

Most cue-selective neurons were modality-specific (auditory or visual).
A subset of cue-related neurons showed bimodal, modality-independent spatial selectivity.
Delay-period neurons were mostly modality-specific; bimodal delay neurons were spatially nonselective.

Conclusions:

PFCd exhibits parallel, modality-specific processing for spatial working memory.
Modality-independent spatial processing also occurs at the cellular level in PFCd.
Working memory for auditory and visual space involves integrated neural mechanisms in PFCd.