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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.
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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....

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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...

Indirect Motor Pathways

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The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
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Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Published on: December 2, 2022

Neurons in Primary Motor Cortex Encode External Perturbations during an Orientation Reaching Task.

Yan Ma^1,2, Weiming Sun^3,4, Nanrun Zhou¹

¹Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Information Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China.

|September 28, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered specific neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1) that activate during adaptation to movement disturbances. This neural activity prepares the motor system for unexpected external forces, aiding motor control.

Keywords:

external perturbation of orientation monkey neuronal ensemble recording primary motor cortex reaching orientation task

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Last Updated: Oct 18, 2025

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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Motor Learning

Background:

Flexible motor control requires adapting to external perturbations.
The neural mechanisms underlying motor adaptation to disturbances are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of the primary motor cortex (M1) in adapting to external orientation perturbations during reaching tasks.
To elucidate the neuronal activity patterns associated with motor adaptation and compensation for disturbances.

Main Methods:

Monkeys performed an orientation reaching task with applied external orientation perturbations.
Simultaneous neural activity recording in the primary motor cortex (M1) during the task.

Main Results:

A subpopulation of M1 neurons exhibited time-locked activity in response to a 'go' signal during the adaptation phase of perturbation.
This specific neuronal activity was amplified during adaptation and persisted in the extinction phase before gradually fading.
The observed M1 activity was absent during normal task conditions without perturbation.

Conclusions:

The identified M1 neuronal activity suggests a preparatory role in anticipating and responding to external motor disturbances.
This finding provides critical insights into how the motor cortex adapts to perturbations, advancing the understanding of motor learning and neurophysiological compensation mechanisms.