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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....

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

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.

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...

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...

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,...

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Ex utero Electroporation and Whole Hemisphere Explants: A Simple Experimental Method for Studies of Early Cortical Development

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The development of human cortical scene processing.

Daniel D Dilks¹, Yaelan Jung¹, Frederik S Kamps²

¹Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Current Directions in Psychological Science

|January 29, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The development of brain regions for processing visual scenes remains unclear. This review highlights early infant studies and inconsistent findings on mature scene processing, suggesting navigation-related areas mature later than categorization areas.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Adults possess specialized brain regions for visual scene processing, supporting functions like recognition and navigation.
The developmental trajectory and maturation of these scene-processing regions in the human brain are largely unknown.
Existing research on infant scene processing and region maturation yields inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the limited evidence on the development of cortical scene processing regions from infancy to maturity.
To identify common pitfalls in pediatric functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies and suggest solutions.
To propose a novel hypothesis regarding the differential maturation of scene processing subregions.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on infant scene processing and functional maturation of scene-selective regions.
Analysis of inconsistencies in current pediatric fMRI research findings.
Hypothesis generation based on distinct functional roles (categorization vs. navigation) and connectivity.

Main Results:

Limited studies exist on the origins of cortical scene processing in infancy.
Research on the maturation of scene-selective regions shows inconsistent findings, potentially due to methodological challenges in pediatric fMRI.
Current research predominantly focuses on general scene selectivity, neglecting distinct regional functions.

Conclusions:

Significant gaps exist in understanding the developmental timeline of scene-selective brain regions.
Methodological improvements in pediatric fMRI are crucial for reliable developmental data.
A novel hypothesis suggests that brain regions supporting scene navigation mature later than those supporting scene categorization.