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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

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.

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...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

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

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...

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Effects of Mind-Body-Movement Practices on Brain Function

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Effects of Mind-Body-Movement Practices on Brain Function

Published on: January 26, 2024

Spatial modulation of visual responses arises in cortex with active navigation.

E Mika Diamanti^1,2, Charu Bai Reddy¹, Sylvia Schröder¹

¹UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

|February 4, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Visual cortex neuron responses change with location during navigation. This spatial modulation strengthens with experience and active behavior, enhancing visual signals in the cortex.

Keywords:

LGN V1 higher visual areas mouse navigation neuroscience spatial modulation visual processing

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Last Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Effects of Mind-Body-Movement Practices on Brain Function

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Published on: January 26, 2024

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

Published on: May 7, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual processing
Spatial navigation

Background:

Neuronal responses in the primary visual cortex (V1) are known to be modulated by an animal's spatial position during navigation.
Understanding how this spatial modulation extends to higher visual areas and its dependence on experience is crucial for comprehending visual processing in dynamic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and characteristics of spatial modulation in higher visual areas compared to the primary visual cortex (V1) and the main thalamic pathway.
To determine how experience and active behavior influence spatial modulation in the visual cortex.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings in mice during navigation tasks in familiar environments.
Comparative analysis of neuronal responses across different visual processing areas (V1, higher visual areas, thalamic pathway).

Main Results:

Spatial modulation of visual responses is present in higher visual areas, mirroring patterns in V1.
This modulation is significantly weaker in the main thalamic pathway projecting to V1.
Spatial modulation strengthens with increased experience and active navigation, similar to findings in the hippocampus.

Conclusions:

Active navigation and experience enhance spatial modulation of visual signals within the cortex.
The visual cortex, rather than the main thalamic input, appears to be a key site for developing experience-dependent spatial modulation of visual information.