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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....

Vision

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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.

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,...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

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Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

Visual System

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Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Top-down cortical interactions in visuospatial attention.

Timothy P Meehan¹, Steven L Bressler^2,3, Wei Tang¹

¹Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.

Brain Structure & Function

|March 22, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Task engagement enhances brain network interactions for visuospatial attention. Resting brain connectivity influences how the dorsal attention network (DAN) and visual occipital cortex (VOC) adapt to attentional demands.

Keywords:

Cognitive control Dorsal attention network Hemispheric asymmetry Intrinsic connectivity Task set

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Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

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Published on: January 23, 2017

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

Voluntary visuospatial attention relies on top-down influences from the frontal eye field (FEF) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS), key regions of the dorsal attention network (DAN).
Interactions within the DAN, especially between FEF and IPS, are crucial for attention.
How these functional connections manifest at rest and change during attention tasks is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate functional connectivity (FC) dynamics between FEF, IPS, and visual occipital cortex (VOC) at rest and during an anticipatory visuospatial attention task.
To differentiate between undirected (UFC) and directed (DFC) functional connectivity.
To examine both sustained and transient modulations of FC during task performance.

Main Methods:

Measured undirected and directed functional connectivity (UFC, DFC) between FEF, IPS, and VOC.
Utilized a slow event-related fMRI design.
Compared FC at rest versus during an anticipatory visuospatial attention task, analyzing both sustained and within-trial modulations.

Main Results:

Task engagement enhanced top-down influences from the DAN (FEF, IPS) to VOC and strengthened bidirectional FEF-IPS interactions.
Resting-state FC showed right hemisphere dominance, while task-related enhancements favored the left hemisphere, balancing asymmetry.
Transient increases in VOC-to-DAN and FEF-IPS influences occurred during the anticipatory phase of trials.
Resting and task-related FC patterns were highly correlated, suggesting a role for resting connectivity in guiding task performance.

Conclusions:

Task performance strengthens interactions within the DAN and increases top-down control over VOC.
Resting-state functional connectivity provides a foundation for attentional control, requiring minimal tonic and phasic modulation.
Hemispheric lateralization of attention networks is dynamically modulated by task demands.