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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.

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

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....

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 15, 2026

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

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

Published on: November 21, 2023

Layer-Specific Refinement of Sensory Coding in Developing Mouse Barrel Cortex.

Alexander van der Bourg^1,2, Jenq-Wei Yang³, Vicente Reyes-Puerta³

¹Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|September 14, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Rodent whisker development shows layer-specific changes in barrel cortex neuronal activity. Sensory responses and selectivity mature during a critical period, coinciding with exploratory behavior onset.

Keywords:

barrel cortex calcium imaging development response selectivity

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Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

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Published on: January 22, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Sensory Systems

Background:

Rodent rhythmic whisking behavior matures around postnatal day 14.
The functional adaptations of neocortical circuitry during this period are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize stimulus-evoked neuronal activity across all layers of the mouse barrel cortex before, during, and after the onset of whisking behavior.

Main Methods:

Multi-electrode recordings and 2-photon calcium imaging in anesthetized mice.
Testing responses to whisker deflections and tapping stimuli from postnatal day 10 to P28.

Main Results:

Whisker-evoked activity decreased in layers 2/3 and 4, but increased in layers 5 and 6.
Neuronal response adaptation altered during stimulation.
Response selectivity for whisker deflection or tapping emerged in deeper layers around P14.
Superficial layers showed emerging selectivity, sparsification, and decorrelation of responses around P14.

Conclusions:

Sensory responsiveness and response selectivity develop in a layer-specific manner in the mouse somatosensory cortex.
This development coincides with the onset of exploratory whisking behavior.