Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

5.0K
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...
5.0K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

8.1K
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....
8.1K
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

36.9K
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
36.9K
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

7.1K
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...
7.1K
Vision01:24

Vision

48.6K
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.
48.6K
Perception01:28

Perception

1.8K
Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
1.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Retrosplenial cortex enables context-dependent goal-directed sensorimotor transformation.

eLife·2026
Same author

Contextual gating of whisker-evoked responses by frontal cortex supports flexible decision making.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Cortical circuits for whisker sensory perception-From barrel columns to brain-wide interactions.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same author

Redefining borders in the sensorimotor cortex.

eLife·2026
Same author

Biologically informed cortical models predict optogenetic perturbations.

eLife·2026
Same author

Experimental and computational analysis of REM sleep distributed cortical activity in mice.

Journal of neurophysiology·2025
Same journal

Fast-conducting mechanonociceptors uniquely engage reflexive and affective pain circuitry to drive protective responses.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Sparse component analysis: A method that uncovers separable computations within neural population activity.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Spatiomolecular mapping reveals anatomical organization of heterogeneous cell types in the human nucleus accumbens.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

TGF-β1-induced endothelial transcytosis drives blood-brain barrier leakage during aging.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Image space opens up for visual neuroscience.

Neuron·2026
Same journal

Septal GLP-1 receptors control alcohol taking and seeking.

Neuron·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
08:45

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

Published on: October 24, 2012

14.3K

From perception to action: a spatiotemporal cortical map.

Sylvain Crochet1, Carl C H Petersen2

  • 1Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; INSERM U1028; CNRS UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Integrative Physiology of Brain Arousal System Team, Lyon F-69000, France.

Neuron
|January 14, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists used optogenetics to study tactile sensory perception. They found the somatosensory cortex is vital for acquiring sensory information, while the frontal cortex is essential for planning motor output.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.5K
Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

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

Published on: August 12, 2019

37.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 4, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
08:45

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

Published on: October 24, 2012

14.3K
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.5K
Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

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

Published on: August 12, 2019

37.6K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Perception
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Understanding the neural circuits underlying sensory perception and motor planning is crucial in neuroscience.
  • Cortical regions play specialized roles, but their precise contributions to tactile perception and action planning require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific roles of different cortical areas in tactile sensory perception and motor output planning.
  • To differentiate the necessity of somatosensory and frontal cortices in the processing of tactile information and subsequent motor actions.

Main Methods:

  • Optogenetic techniques were employed to selectively manipulate neuronal activity in distinct cortical regions.
  • Behavioral tasks were designed to assess tactile sensory information acquisition and motor output planning.

Main Results:

  • The somatosensory cortex was found to be essential for the acquisition of tactile sensory information.
  • The frontal cortex was identified as necessary for the planning of motor output in response to tactile stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • Somatosensory cortex is critical for initial sensory processing of tactile input.
  • Frontal cortex plays a key role in translating sensory information into planned motor actions.
  • This study highlights a functional dissociation between cortical areas in tactile sensory-motor processing.