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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.

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: February 23, 2020

Individual variation in human motor-sensory (rolandic) cortex.

Donald F Farrell¹, Nicole Burbank, Ettore Lettich

¹Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. donf@u.washington.edu

Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society

|June 5, 2007

Summary

Brain mapping using electrical stimulation and evoked potentials is crucial for identifying eloquent cortex in epilepsy surgery patients. Results show significant individual variation, supporting a functional mosaicism model over homunculus somatotopy.

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Area of Science:

Neurosurgery
Neurophysiology
Epileptology

Background:

Identifying eloquent cortex (motor-sensory, language, memory areas) is vital to prevent neurological damage during neurosurgical procedures.
Current techniques include direct electrical stimulation and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs).

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the efficacy of direct electrical stimulation and SEPs in identifying motor-sensory cortex in epilepsy patients.
To assess the degree of individual variation in motor-sensory cortex representation.

Main Methods:

Retrospective study of 70 epilepsy patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery.
Patients had chronically implanted subdural grids.
Both somatosensory evoked potentials and direct electrical stimulation were used to map motor-sensory cortex.

Main Results:

Direct electrical stimulation identified motor-sensory cortex responses over a larger area compared to SEPs.
Significant individual variation in cortical representation was observed using both techniques.
Findings support the abandonment of the homunculus somatotopy model in favor of functional mosaicism.

Conclusions:

Individual variability in human motor-sensory cortex necessitates continued 'brain mapping' for neurosurgical procedures.
Accurate identification of eloquent cortex is essential for preserving vital brain functions during neocortical surgery.