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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....

Visual System

Visual System

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...

Vision

Vision

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.

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,...

Decision Making

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Published on: April 21, 2023

A Causal Role for Mouse Superior Colliculus in Visual Perceptual Decision-Making.

Lupeng Wang¹, Kerry McAlonan², Sheridan Goldstein²

¹Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 lupeng.wang@gmail.com Richard.krauzlis@nih.gov.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|April 8, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The mouse superior colliculus (SC) is crucial for voluntary visual decisions. Inhibiting SC activity impaired orientation change detection and target selection, particularly during a specific 100-ms window.

Keywords:

decision-making mouse perception superior colliculus vision visual attention

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual System Research
Animal Behavior Studies

Background:

The superior colliculus (SC) is a key visual processing center in the mouse brain, known for innate responses.
Its role in voluntary visual behaviors like perceptual decision-making in mice remains largely unestablished.
Previous research in other species suggests SC involvement in attention and decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the causal role of the mouse superior colliculus (SC) in visual perceptual decision-making.
To determine the temporal dynamics and specificity of SC involvement in visual choice behavior.
To explore the SC's function in visual target selection.

Main Methods:

Transiently inhibiting superior colliculus (SC) activity in mice of both sexes.
Utilizing an orientation change detection task to assess visual choice behavior.
Employing psychometric analysis to quantify detection thresholds and lapse rates.

Main Results:

Unilateral SC inhibition caused spatially specific deficits in detecting orientation changes in the contralateral visual field.
These deficits were temporally restricted to a 100-ms epoch coinciding with early SC visual burst responses.
SC inhibition reduced visual detection sensitivity and impaired target selection, especially with competing stimuli.

Conclusions:

The mouse superior colliculus (SC) is causally necessary for normal visual perceptual decision-making.
A specific 100-ms temporal window of SC activity is critical for detecting visual changes.
The SC plays a vital role in voluntary visual choice behaviors and target selection in mice.