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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.

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...

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,...

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...

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 5, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

The development of cortical sensitivity to visual word forms.

Michal Ben-Shachar¹, Robert F Dougherty, Gayle K Deutsch

¹Stanford University, CA, USA. michalb@mail.biu.ac.il

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

|January 26, 2011

Summary

Reading development involves enhanced brain sensitivity to visual word forms. This longitudinal fMRI study shows increased sensitivity in the left occipito-temporal sulcus (LOTS) correlating with reading skill improvement in children.

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Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

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Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

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Published on: May 15, 2019

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

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Published on: June 29, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Efficient visual word form recognition is crucial for reading acquisition and learning.
Previous research suggests a specialized brain region, the visual word form area (VWFA), is involved in processing written words.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate longitudinal changes in cortical sensitivity to written words during reading development.
To identify specific brain regions and their functional changes associated with reading skill improvement in children.

Main Methods:

A longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted over four annual sessions.
Participants included a heterogeneous group of children aged 7-12 years at the study's onset.
Brain activity and reading skills, including sight word efficiency, were measured annually.

Main Results:

Significant age-related increases in cortical sensitivity to word visibility were observed in the posterior left occipito-temporal sulcus (LOTS).
The rate of increase in LOTS word sensitivity positively correlated with improvements in sight word efficiency.
Other brain regions, such as V1 and posterior parietal cortex, did not show similar developmental changes.

Conclusions:

The findings support the hypothesis that LOTS is a critical component of the neural circuitry for rapid visual word form extraction.
Developing cortical sensitivity to word visibility in LOTS is essential for successful reading acquisition.
This study provides crucial developmental evidence for the role of LOTS in reading.