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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

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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...
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Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

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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,...
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Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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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....
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Cerebral Hemispheres01:05

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The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...
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Organization of the Brain01:30

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The brain is an integral component of the nervous system and serves as the center for processing sensory inputs, making decisions, and directing bodily actions. This complex organ is organized into three primary sections: the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, each responsible for a range of vital functions.
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Somatosensation01:33

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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.
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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
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Functional Specialization and Flexibility in Human Association Cortex.

B T Thomas Yeo1, Fenna M Krienen2, Simon B Eickhoff3

  • 1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore Singapore Institute of Neurotechnology and Clinical Imaging Research Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|September 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human association cortex organization reveals specialized and flexible brain regions. Specialized regions form coupled networks for specific cognitive components, while flexible regions integrate these networks for varied tasks.

Keywords:
cognitive ontologyfunctional connectivitymeta-analysisparietal cortexprefrontal cortex

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Brain Imaging

Background:

  • The human association cortex is crucial for flexible behavior.
  • Understanding its organizational principles is key to cognitive neuroscience.
  • Previous models often simplified the complex interplay of brain regions and cognitive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To mathematically formalize and explore the organization of the human association cortex.
  • To investigate how behavioral tasks engage cognitive components supported by overlapping brain regions.
  • To characterize the specialization and flexibility of frontal and parietal regions.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a mathematical model to link behavioral tasks, cognitive components, and brain regions.
  • Applied the model to a large neuroimaging dataset (N=10,449) of cognitive experiments.
  • Analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data (N=1000) to examine network organization.

Main Results:

  • Identified complex zones in frontal and parietal cortices with varying degrees of specialization and flexibility.
  • Found that cortical regions specialized for the same cognitive components exhibit strong coupling, suggesting partially isolated networks.
  • Demonstrated that functionally flexible regions engage in multiple cognitive components to varying extents.
  • Showed that heterogeneous selectivity in flexible regions is predictable by their connectivity with specialized regions.

Conclusions:

  • The human association cortex is organized into specialized and flexible regions supporting cognitive functions.
  • Specialized regions form distinct networks for specific cognitive components.
  • Flexible regions integrate these specialized networks, enabling the execution of diverse and multiple tasks.
  • Connectivity patterns predict the functional flexibility of brain regions.