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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...

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,...

Action Potential

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

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Related Experiment Video

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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

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Published on: August 1, 2018

Activity patterns in the category-selective occipitotemporal cortex predict upcoming motor actions.

Jason P Gallivan¹, Craig S Chapman, D Adam McLean

¹Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada. jasongallivan@gmail.com

The European Journal of Neuroscience

|April 16, 2013

Summary

The occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) prepares for actions by representing upcoming hand movements and effectors. This ventral visual pathway region is crucial for both object recognition and action preparation.

Keywords:

action decoding fMRI occipitotemporal cortex planning ventral visual stream

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Last Updated: May 12, 2026

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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

The occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) is recognized for its role in visual perception, with distinct areas for object, face, body, and scene selectivity.
Disruptions in OTC processing lead to category-specific visual recognition deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the OTC also encodes information about how objects will be interacted with by the body.
To determine if OTC activity patterns can predict upcoming object-directed hand movements.

Main Methods:

Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and pattern classification techniques.
Combined functional mapping of OTC areas with a delayed movement task involving real objects.
Analyzed pre-movement spatial activity patterns to predict movement actions and effectors.

Main Results:

OTC activity patterns predicted the type of hand movement (grasping vs. reaching) and the effector (left vs. right hand).
Predictive movement information was extracted even when OTC areas showed baseline or below-baseline activity.
A posterior-anterior gradient of effector-to-action-dependent movement representations was observed across OTC areas.

Conclusions:

The ventral visual pathway, including the OTC, plays a significant role in preparing object-directed hand actions.
OTC's function extends beyond visual recognition to include motor preparation for interacting with perceived objects.