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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....

Somatosensation

Somatosensation

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.

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...

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,...

Hierarchy of Motor Control

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.

Cerebral Hemispheres

Cerebral Hemispheres

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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Human posterior parietal cortex mediates hand-specific planning.

Kenneth F Valyear¹, Scott H Frey²

¹School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2AS, UK.

|April 6, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Action planning is more efficient when using the same hand for successive movements. This motor experience speeds up action initiation and reduces brain activity, particularly in the parietal cortex.

Keywords:

Action planning Action priming Grasping Recent motor experience Sensorimotor control fMRI repetition suppression

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Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: February 23, 2020

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Motor Control
Neuroscience

Background:

Action planning is crucial for adaptive behavior.
Recent motor experience can influence action planning efficiency.
Understanding these processes informs theories of motor control and learning.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if action planning is more efficient for successive actions using the same hand.
To examine the neural correlates of motor experience effects on action planning.
To test predictions of faster response times and reduced brain activity (fMRI Repetition Suppression) for same-hand actions.

Main Methods:

Utilized a novel functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Repetition Suppression (RS) design.
Measured response times (RTs) for action initiation.
Analyzed fMRI activity in specific brain regions, including the posterior parietal cortex and parietal operculum.

Main Results:

Observed significantly faster RTs for successive actions performed with the same hand.
Detected fMRI-RS in bilateral posterior parietal cortex and right-lateralized parietal operculum, indicating more efficient neural processing.
Found that these areas showed stronger activation for contralateral hand actions, suggesting hand-specific action plan specification.

Conclusions:

Action planning processes are specified in hand-specific terms.
Neural processes for action planning are sensitive to recent motor history.
Findings support computational efficiency accounts of motor history effects in motor control.