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Related Concept Videos

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.
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...
Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
Somatosensation01:33

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.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

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...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior
07:52

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Motor control by sensory cortex.

Ferenc Matyas1, Varun Sreenivasan, Fred Marbach

  • 1Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 27, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered a direct motor control pathway from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) to whisker movements in mice. This pathway rapidly retracts whiskers, offering a new perspective on sensorimotor integration and cortical organization.

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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

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Published on: December 31, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Sensory Systems

Background:

  • The primary motor cortex is traditionally recognized for controlling mammalian movement.
  • The whisker system in mice is a key model for studying sensorimotor integration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate alternative cortical pathways for motor control beyond the primary motor cortex.
  • To elucidate the role of the primary somatosensory cortex in active sensory behaviors like whisking.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings in mice.
  • Behavioral analysis of whisker movements.
  • Causal manipulation of neural activity in sensory and motor cortices.

Main Results:

  • Identified a direct pathway from the primary somatosensory cortex to whisker motor control.
  • Demonstrated that primary somatosensory cortex activity directly drives whisker retraction.
  • Showed that primary motor cortex activity directly drives whisker protraction.

Conclusions:

  • The primary somatosensory cortex plays a direct and significant role in motor control of the whiskers.
  • This sensory-driven motor pathway provides rapid negative feedback for sensorimotor integration.
  • The findings necessitate a reevaluation of the functional organization of cortical maps and motor control circuits.