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Related Concept Videos

Motor Units

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.

Motor Units

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...

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.

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

How the motor system handles nouns: a behavioral study.

Barbara F M Marino¹, Patricia M Gough, Vittorio Gallese

¹Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione di Fisiologia, Università di Parma, 39 Via Volturno, 43100 Parma, Italy.

Psychological Research

|September 1, 2011

Summary

The motor system is involved in understanding concrete nouns, showing early lateralized brain activity during processing. This suggests motor system engagement is crucial for comprehending object-related words.

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Last Updated: May 29, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psycholinguistics
Motor Control

Background:

The role of the motor system in understanding concrete verbs is established.
Its involvement in processing concrete nouns remains an open question in cognitive science.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the motor system is engaged during the comprehension of concrete nouns.
To determine if this engagement is lateralized and occurs early in processing.

Main Methods:

A behavioral experiment using a go-no go paradigm with early and delayed go-signals.
Participants responded to concrete Italian nouns (hand-related, foot-related) and abstract nouns using their left or right hand.

Main Results:

Slower right-hand responses to hand-related nouns compared to foot-related nouns at the early go-signal.
An opposite pattern was observed for left-hand responses, indicating early lateralized motor system modulation.

Conclusions:

The motor system shows early, lateralized modulation during concrete noun processing.
This motor system involvement is likely essential for effective noun comprehension.