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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.

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.

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.

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...

What is a Sensory System?

What is a Sensory System?

Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Published on: March 1, 2024

Sensory experience and cortical rewiring.

Samuel J Barnes¹, Gerald T Finnerty

¹MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.

The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry

|October 6, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Adult brains are adaptable. Structural changes in neural connections, including axonal remodeling and new spine growth, drive cortical plasticity and rewiring in the mature cortex, offering insights into learning and memory.

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Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers

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Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period

Published on: March 1, 2024

In Vivo Visualization of Spontaneous Activity in Neonatal Mouse Sensory Cortex at a Single-Neuron Resolution

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Published on: November 21, 2023

Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers

Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers

Published on: August 15, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cellular Biology
Neuroplasticity

Background:

The adult primary sensory cortex is adaptable, not fixed.
Cortical plasticity involves both functional and structural neuronal changes.
Structural modifications are crucial for cortical plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

To review structural remodeling in adult cortical circuits.
To highlight mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity in mature cortex.

Main Methods:

Review of recent scientific literature.
Focus on structural changes in cortical neurons and connections.

Main Results:

Axonal remodeling is a key mechanism for cortical rewiring.
Growth of new dendritic spines contributes to plasticity.
Synapse turnover plays a role in experience-dependent changes.

Conclusions:

Structural remodeling underlies cortical circuit rewiring in adults.
These mechanisms provide insights into learning and memory at a cellular level.