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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.

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.

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,...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Anatomy of the Eyeball

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex

Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex

Published on: February 8, 2020

Callosal contribution to ocular dominance in rat primary visual cortex.

Chiara Cerri¹, Laura Restani, Matteo Caleo

¹Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.

The European Journal of Neuroscience

|August 24, 2010

Summary

Callosal connections in rodent visual cortex primarily support the ipsilateral eye, influencing ocular dominance (OD). Silencing these pathways shifts OD towards the ipsilateral eye, impacting plasticity studies.

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Calcium Imaging in Mouse Superior Colliculus

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Published on: April 21, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual System Development
Neural Plasticity

Background:

Ocular dominance (OD) plasticity is crucial for understanding experience-dependent neural changes.
Rodents are a key model for OD plasticity research, necessitating understanding of their visual cortex.
The role of callosal connections in determining OD remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the contribution of callosal connections to binocularity in the rat visual cortex.
To clarify the function of callosal axons in controlling eye preference.

Main Methods:

Recorded cortical responses to monocular stimulation in young rats.
Used tetrodotoxin (TTX) to acutely silence the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) ipsilateral to the recording site.
Assessed cortical binocularity using visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and single-unit recordings.

Main Results:

Silencing geniculocortical input significantly reduced the contralateral-to-ipsilateral (C/I) VEP ratio.
A marked shift in OD distribution towards the ipsilateral eye was observed.
Contralateral eye responses decreased dramatically, while ipsilateral eye responses were reduced but more prominent.

Conclusions:

Callosal connections are vital for normal ocular dominance, primarily by transmitting ipsilateral eye visual input.
These findings are critical for interpreting OD plasticity in response to altered visual experiences.