Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

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.

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...

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Basal ganglia-brainstem interactions.

Current biology : CB·2025

Same author

Dynamic basal ganglia output signals license and suppress forelimb movements.

Nature·2025

Same author

Selective vulnerability of the ventral hippocampus-prelimbic cortex axis parvalbumin interneuron network underlies learning deficits of fragile X mice.

Cell reports·2024

Same author

Balloon Pressure and Clinical Effectiveness of Percutaneous Microballoon Compression in the Treatment of Primary Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Pain physician·2024

Same author

Brainstem circuits help zebrafish get into the swim of things.

Neuron·2023

Same author

Networking brainstem and basal ganglia circuits for movement.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2022

Same journal

Whole-cell particle-based digital twin simulations from 4D lattice light-sheet microscopy data.

Cell·2026

Same journal

Systematic discovery of pathogen effector functions across human pathogens and pathways.

Cell·2026

Same journal

Structural basis for host membrane binding and remodeling by invading malaria parasites.

Cell·2026

Same journal

Multiscale integration of tissue and chromatin context converts cell heterogeneity into stable intestinal patterning.

Cell·2026

Same journal

Arc mediates intercellular tau transmission via extracellular vesicles.

Cell·2026

Same journal

Electromagnetic field-inducible in vivo gene switch for remote spatiotemporal control of gene expression.

Cell·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Investigating Mouse Motor Cortex Interactions from Muscle Activity to Neural Dynamics

Author Spotlight: Investigating Mouse Motor Cortex Interactions from Muscle Activity to Neural Dynamics

Published on: March 29, 2024

Structural and functional map for forelimb movement phases between cortex and medulla.

Wuzhou Yang¹, Harsh Kanodia¹, Silvia Arber¹

¹Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.

|January 7, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study maps connections between the anterior cortex (AC) and medulla, revealing how specific cortical areas control distinct forelimb movements like reaching and handling. The findings clarify brain region interactions for skilled motor control.

Keywords:

behavior brainstem medulla motor control motor cortex neuronal activity neuronal circuits neuronal subpopulations skilled forelimb movement

More Related Videos

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Published on: June 14, 2010

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Investigating Mouse Motor Cortex Interactions from Muscle Activity to Neural Dynamics

Author Spotlight: Investigating Mouse Motor Cortex Interactions from Muscle Activity to Neural Dynamics

Published on: March 29, 2024

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Published on: June 14, 2010

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior

Published on: November 22, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Cortical-Brainstem Interactions

Background:

The cortex exerts top-down control over movement via projections to various nervous system regions.
Brainstem circuitry in the medulla is crucial for skilled forelimb movements, but cortical interactions remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To map the anatomical and functional connections between the anterior cortex (AC) and the medulla in mice.
To elucidate the logic of cortical interactions with medullary neurons controlling forelimb movements.

Main Methods:

Detailed anatomical mapping of synaptic columns between anterior cortex and lateral medulla.
Functional characterization using silencing techniques to assess the impact on specific forelimb actions (reaching, handling).

Main Results:

Distinct anterior cortex regions form 3D synaptic columns in the lateral medulla, topographically aligned with medullary neurons.
Medial AC (MAC) targets ventral neurons controlling reaching, while lateral AC (LAC) targets dorsal neurons for food handling.
Silencing MAC impairs reaching, and silencing LAC impairs food handling, demonstrating functional specificity.

Conclusions:

A precise topographical and functional map exists between anterior cortex and medulla for forelimb control.
Specific cortical areas map to distinct medullary neuron populations tuned to specific action phases.
Cortico-medullary neurons utilize segregated channels for interaction with other subcortical structures.