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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.

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...

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Published on: July 1, 2019

New insights into motor cortex.

Michael S A Graziano¹

¹Department of Psychology, Green Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. graziano@princeton.edu

|August 13, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers studied monkey motor cortex activity to understand how neuronal ensembles move through state space. This research may explain how the brain plans and initiates arm movements.

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Last Updated: May 30, 2026

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain

Published on: July 1, 2019

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: June 14, 2014

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

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Published on: December 31, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

The motor cortex is crucial for planning and executing voluntary movements.
Understanding the neural basis of movement generation remains a key challenge in neuroscience.

Discussion:

This study investigates the dynamic trajectory of neuronal ensembles in the monkey motor cortex.
Researchers observed systematic patterns in neural activity as monkeys prepared for arm movements.

Key Insights:

Neuronal ensembles exhibit predictable paths through state space during movement preparation.
These trajectories may represent the neural computations underlying motor planning.

Outlook:

Further research can explore how these neural trajectories are learned and adapted.
This work provides a foundation for developing brain-computer interfaces for motor control.