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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.

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

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...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Lobes of the Cerebrum

Lobes of the Cerebrum

The cerebral cortex, a critical structure of the brain, is intricately divided into two hemispheres, each consisting of four distinct lobes: occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal. These lobes function cooperatively to regulate various cognitive and sensory functions, forming the basis of our complex neural capabilities.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.

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:
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

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The cortical representation of speech.

B M Mazoyer, N Tzourio, V Frak

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

|August 23, 2013

Summary

Processing meaningful stories, not just words, activates specific brain regions like the temporal poles. These areas are crucial for understanding complex language, even with distorted or unknown speech.

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

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Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Linguistics

Background:

Understanding the neural basis of language comprehension is crucial.
Previous research has identified brain regions involved in single-word processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural correlates of processing meaningful stories versus single words or distorted speech.
To identify brain regions specifically activated by complex narrative comprehension.

Main Methods:

Functional neuroimaging measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).
Comparison of brain activity in French monolingual subjects exposed to different auditory stimuli: unknown language, French words, meaningful French stories, and distorted French stories.

Main Results:

Meaningful story processing activated additional regions beyond single-word comprehension areas, including the left middle temporal gyrus, temporal poles (left and right), and a left superior prefrontal area.
The temporal poles showed sustained activation when presented with sentences possessing acceptable syntax and prosody, regardless of semantic content.

Conclusions:

Narrative comprehension involves a distinct network of brain regions, notably the temporal poles and prefrontal cortex, extending beyond basic word processing.
The temporal poles play a significant role in processing syntactically and prosodically acceptable sentences, indicating their importance in higher-level language understanding.