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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....

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,...

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...

Lobes of the Cerebrum

Lobes of the Cerebrum

The cerebral cortex, a critical structure of the brain, is intricately divided into two hemispheres, each consisting of four distinct lobes: occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal. These lobes function cooperatively to regulate various cognitive and sensory functions, forming the basis of our complex neural capabilities.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements....

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...

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Updated: Jun 16, 2025

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Prefrontal Cortex subregions provide distinct visual and behavioral feedback modulation to the Primary Visual Cortex.

S Ährlund-Richter¹, Y Osako¹, K R Jenks¹

¹The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|August 16, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The mammalian Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) modulates sensory processing. Distinct PFC regions, Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACA) and Orbitofrontal Cortex (ORB), uniquely shape visual cortex activity based on behavior and arousal.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2025

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Published on: November 16, 2017

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Published on: August 1, 2018

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Published on: September 11, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience
Cortical Circuits

Background:

The mammalian Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) modulates sensory processing through long-range axonal projections.
Distinct PFC subregions possess unique connectivity and functional roles, suggesting modular feedback mechanisms for sensory processing.
Understanding how PFC projections shape sensory cortex activity across different behavioral states is crucial for refining models of cortical hierarchy.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how projections from the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACA) and ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex (ORB) of the PFC modulate sensory processing in the primary Visual Cortex (VISp).
To delineate the distinct structural and functional contributions of ACA and ORB projections to visual processing across varying behavioral states.
To provide a refined model of cortical hierarchy and PFC's impact on sensory information processing.

Main Methods:

Axonal tracing in mice to map projection patterns.
Axonal and somatic 2-photon calcium imaging to record neural activity.
Chemogenetic manipulations to assess functional modulation by PFC projections.

Main Results:

ACA and ORB exhibit distinct projection patterns within the VISp across cortical layers.
ACA projections in VISp represent visual stimulus information more strongly than ORB projections.
ACA input enhances visual encoding in VISp, modulated by arousal; ORB input modulates movement/arousal-related activity and reduces high-contrast stimulus encoding.

Conclusions:

ACA and ORB feedback projections possess separable patterns and encode distinct information, contributing uniquely to VISp activity.
These findings support a refined model of cortical hierarchy where specific PFC projections shape sensory processing based on behavioral context.
Distinct properties of PFC projections, rather than generalized effects, are key to modulating VISp activity during different behavioral states.