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....

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

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,...

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Autonomy in learning: Predictability modulates the beneficial effect of choice on memory.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same author

Pupil dilation offers a time-window on prediction error.

eLife·2026

Same author

Correction: Exploring practitioners' perceptions of health behavior changes associated with psychedelic experiences.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

Exploring practitioners' perceptions of health behavior changes associated with psychedelic experiences.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

Microdosing psilocybin and its effect on creativity: Lessons learned from three double-blind placebo controlled longitudinal trials.

Neuropharmacology·2025

Same author

Trait absorption is not reliably associated with brain structure or resting-state functional connectivity.

Neuroimage. Reports·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: August 1, 2018

Dorsal stream areas process action semantics.

Michiel van Elk¹, Hein T van Schie, Harold Bekkering

¹a Behavioural Science Institute , Radboud University Nijmegen , PO Box 9104 , 6500 , HE , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.

Cognitive Neuroscience

|October 31, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Action semantics, the knowledge of how to use objects, involves motor system activation and performance. This suggests a distributed, interactive model rather than independent processing in brain streams.

More Related Videos

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

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Published on: August 12, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: August 1, 2018

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

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Published on: August 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Psychology

Background:

Action semantics, the knowledge of object use, is crucial for interaction.
Previous research explored its neural underpinnings, with debate on brain stream involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural mechanisms of action semantics.
To determine if action semantic processing is confined to the ventral stream or involves dorsal areas.

Main Methods:

Review of recent studies on functional and neural mechanisms of action semantics.
Analysis of evidence linking semantic processing to specific brain regions and motor performance.

Main Results:

Semantic processing for action is directly associated with activation in dorsal brain areas (motor system).
Action semantics is linked to motor performance, indicating a functional connection.
Evidence contradicts a model of functionally independent processing in dorsal and ventral streams.

Conclusions:

Action semantics is supported by a distributed and interactive neural network.
The motor system plays a direct role in processing action semantics.
Processing of action semantics is not solely reliant on high-level perceptual areas.