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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.

Functional Brain Systems: Reticular Formation

Functional Brain Systems: Reticular Formation

The reticular formation is a complex network of gray and white matter located within the brainstem extending from the medulla to the midbrain.
Within the reticular formation, there are several distinct nuclei that can be classified into three broad categories. The Raphe nuclei are located along the midline of the brainstem. They are primarily known for their role in synthesizing and releasing serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, appetite, sleep, and circadian rhythms. The...

Indirect Motor Pathways

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

Hierarchy of Motor Control

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.

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

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...

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Mu rhythm, visual processing and motor control.

Magdalena Sabate¹, Catalina Llanos, Enrique Enriquez

¹Rehabilitation Service, Department of Pharmacology and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology

|August 16, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Mu-rhythm

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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

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Last Updated: May 30, 2026

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Motor Control

Background:

The Mu-rhythm, a specific brainwave pattern in the alpha frequency range, has conflicting proposed roles in sensory-motor cortex (SM-C) information processing.
The 'idling hypothesis' suggests Mu-rhythm inhibits processing, while the 'processing hypothesis' posits it promotes information flow.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dual role of the Mu-rhythm in information processing within the primary sensory-motor cortex.
To differentiate between the inhibitory ('idling') and facilitatory ('processing') functions of the Mu-rhythm during a visual-motor task.

Main Methods:

Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record brain activity in 13 participants during a visual-motor task.
EEG data in the alpha (Mu-α) and beta ranges were analyzed to distinguish between phase-locked and non-phase-locked Mu responses.
Event-related Mu responses during active task execution were compared to responses during passive observation of stimuli.

Main Results:

Visual stimuli elicited a phase-locked alpha oscillation approximately 50ms after onset, lasting 150-200ms.
This phase-locked response was significantly stronger during motion planning compared to passive viewing, and more pronounced in the alpha than beta range.
Following the phase-locked response, a sustained decrease in non-phase-locked Mu activity was observed, consistent with event-related desynchronization/synchronization.

Conclusions:

The Mu-wave is a complex phenomenon comprising distinct phase-locked and non-phase-locked components.
An early, short-lasting phase-locked response to visual stimuli increased during task execution.
A non-phase-locked component showed a persistent decrease during task execution, suggesting a dual role in modulating information processing.