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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....

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...

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...

Direct Motor Pathways

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and...

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.

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Perspectives on classical controversies about the motor cortex.

Mohsen Omrani¹, Matthew T Kaufman², Nicholas G Hatsopoulos³

¹Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey; mohsen.omrani@rutgers.edu.

Journal of Neurophysiology

|June 16, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The primary motor cortex (M1) role in movement control remains debated, focusing on low-level dynamics versus high-level kinematics and sensory feedback integration. This review presents diverse expert views to advance understanding of M1

Keywords:

motor control movement dynamics movement kinematics primary motor cortex sensory feedback

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Last Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

The primary motor cortex (M1) has been extensively studied for over a century.
A definitive consensus on its precise functional contribution to movement control is still lacking.
Key controversies include M1's role in low-level movement dynamics versus high-level kinematics and the influence of sensory feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore differing perspectives on the functional role of the primary motor cortex (M1).
To investigate what neural activity within M1 reflects regarding movement.
To examine how planned motor commands interact with sensory feedback during movement execution.

Main Methods:

This review presents independent viewpoints from four authors on M1's control of movement.
A synthesized dialogue among the authors is included to discuss and integrate their perspectives.
The methodology involves a critical review and expert discussion of existing theories and evidence.

Main Results:

The review highlights ongoing debate regarding M1's specific contribution to movement control.
Different authors propose distinct interpretations of M1 activity and its relation to movement parameters.
The role and integration of sensory feedback in M1-mediated movement remain a subject of contention.

Conclusions:

There is no current consensus on the exact role of the primary motor cortex (M1) in controlling upper limb movements.
Expert dialogues and the synthesis of diverse viewpoints are crucial for advancing the field.
Further research and discussion are needed to resolve the controversies surrounding M1 function and sensory feedback integration.