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Related Concept Videos

Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

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 Cortex01:23

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...
Concepts and Prototypes01:24

Concepts and Prototypes

The human nervous system handles vast amounts of information by translating sensory stimuli into neural impulses, which the brain processes, creating thoughts expressed through language or stored as memories. The brain also synthesizes information from emotions and memories, which significantly influence thoughts and behaviors. This intricate process creates a comprehensive mental picture.
The brain organizes this information using concepts, which are mental categories grouping linguistic data,...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
Propagation of Action Potentials01:23

Propagation of Action Potentials

The propagation of an action potential refers to the process by which a nerve impulse, or "action potential," travels along a neuron.
Neurons (nerve cells) have a resting membrane potential, with a slightly negative charge inside compared to outside. This is maintained by ion channels, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels, which control the flow of ions. When a stimulus, like a touch or a signal from another neuron, triggers the neuron, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Neural correlates of conceptual knowledge for actions.

Daniel Tranel1, David Kemmerer, Ralph Adolphs

  • 1University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA.

Cognitive Neuropsychology
|October 20, 2010
PubMed
Summary

This study investigated the brain regions involved in understanding actions. Findings show left premotor/prefrontal, parietal, and posterior middle temporal areas are crucial for retrieving conceptual knowledge for actions.

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Published on: August 12, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • The neural basis of conceptual knowledge for actions remains poorly understood.
  • Identifying these neural systems is essential for understanding how the brain processes action concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that action concept retrieval relies on specific higher-order association cortices.
  • To identify the neural correlates of conceptual knowledge for actions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the lesion method with 90 subjects with unilateral brain damage.
  • Employed nonverbal tasks assessing retrieval of knowledge for actions, including attribute evaluation and picture comparison/matching.

Main Results:

  • Significant lesion overlap in subjects with impaired action knowledge retrieval was observed in the left premotor/prefrontal cortex, left parietal lobe, and left posterior middle temporal white matter.
  • These identified regions are distinct from those previously linked to word retrieval for actions.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the hypothesis, implicating specific left hemisphere regions in action concept retrieval.
  • These areas may function as intermediaries between perceptual and conceptual systems for representing action knowledge.