Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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.

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,...

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...

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Shape-similarity gain: A selection profile for simple objects.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026

Same author

The effect of 6 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex on reward learning in men with methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot randomised double-blind trial.

General psychiatry·2026

Same author

Neurocognitive Processing of Facial Emotion Recognition in Individuals With Depression and Suicidal Ideation: An Eye-Tracking and EEG Study.

Alpha psychiatry·2026

Same author

Preparatory Attention to Visual Features Spreads Globally.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026

Same author

Speech feature identification model for depressed individuals with suicidal ideation based on autobiographical memory.

BMC psychiatry·2025

Same author

Dual-format attentional template during preparation in human visual cortex.

eLife·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Neural correlates of object-based attentional selection in human cortex.

Youyang Hou¹, Taosheng Liu²

¹Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Cognitive Science Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Neuropsychologia

|September 12, 2012

Summary

Object-based attention allows focus on specific items regardless of location. This study reveals that patterned neural activity, not just overall brain response, represents object priority across visual and frontoparietal networks.

More Related Videos

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Published on: June 17, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Published on: June 17, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Visual Perception

Background:

Humans can selectively attend to objects independent of their spatial location.
Object processing is modulated by selection in high-level visual areas, but the neural representation of object priority remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the brain represents behavioral importance (priority) for objects during attention tasks.
To examine the patterns of distributed neural activity associated with object-based selection.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
Participants performed an object-based selection task involving superimposed dynamic triangles.
Multi-voxel pattern classification (MVPC) was employed to analyze neural patterns.

Main Results:

While overall fMRI response amplitude did not differ between attention conditions, MVPC successfully distinguished neural patterns for attending to different objects.
Object-based attention modulated neural activity in early visual cortex (V1 to hMT+) and the lateral occipital complex (LOC).
Distinct neural patterns were also identified in frontal and parietal areas, suggesting a role for the dorsal frontoparietal network.

Conclusions:

Object-based attention exerts widespread effects throughout the visual hierarchy.
Object-specific priority information is encoded through patterned neural activity, particularly within the dorsal frontoparietal network.