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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: June 14, 2014

A facilitating role for the primary motor cortex in action sentence processing.

Melody Courson¹, Joël Macoir¹, Pascale Tremblay¹

¹Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, QC, Canada.

Behavioural Brain Research

|September 14, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The primary motor cortex (M1) shows context-sensitive responses to action language. M1 activity reflects sentence meaning, not just semantic polarity, aiding neurobiological models of language.

Keywords:

Context sensitivity Electromyography Language embodiment Semantic polarity

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Last Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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Published on: June 14, 2014

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

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

Area of Science:

Cognitive neuroscience
Psychology
Neurobiology of language

Background:

The role of the motor system in action language comprehension is debated.
Primary motor cortex (M1) response to action language may be context-sensitive, modulated by semantic polarity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the context sensitivity of M1 response to action language.
To determine if M1 response tracks semantic polarity or core sentence meaning using two-part sentences with interacting polarities.

Main Methods:

Recorded M1 activity via surface electromyography of the first dorsal interosseous muscle.
Utilized 22 healthy participants and two-part action sentences with interacting polarities.

Main Results:

M1 activity increased during the first part of the sentence, irrespective of semantic polarity.
M1 response was modulated by the polarity of the second sentence part, which conveyed key action information.

Conclusions:

M1 exhibits differential responses to various aspects of action sentences: an automatic response and one driven by core meaning.
Findings clarify the nature of motor responses to action language, informing neurobiological models of language processing.