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Related Concept Videos

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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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....
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Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

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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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Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy
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Spatial transcriptomics reveals human cortical layer and area specification.

Xuyu Qian1,2, Kyle Coleman3, Shunzhou Jiang3

  • 1Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. qianxuyu@gmail.com.

Nature
|May 14, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study maps human fetal brain development using spatial single-cell resolution, revealing distinct modes of cortical area formation and early layer establishment. Findings highlight the importance of spatial context in brain development and molecular specification.

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Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Human cerebral cortex development involves distinct molecular and structural layers and areas.
  • Single-cell transcriptomics advanced understanding but lost spatial context.
  • Spatial resolution is crucial for understanding developmental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate molecular, cellular, and cytoarchitectural development of the human fetal cortex with spatial single-cell resolution.
  • To create a comprehensive spatial atlas of human cortical development.
  • To uncover the mechanisms of cortical layer and area specification.

Main Methods:

  • Multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) for spatial transcriptomics.
  • Deep-learning-based nucleus segmentation for cell identification.
  • Integration with single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

Main Results:

  • Established a spatial atlas of over 18 million cells across eight cortical areas and seven time points.
  • Identified the early establishment of the six-layer cortical structure before visible cytoarchitectural layers.
  • Discovered continuous and discrete modes of cortical areal specification, including an abrupt boundary between V1 and V2 visual cortices.
  • Revealed early synaptogenesis upregulation in V1-specific layer 4 neurons.

Conclusions:

  • Spatial relationships are critical for molecular specification of cortical layers and areas.
  • The study challenges gradient-only models of cortical arealization.
  • This work establishes a paradigm for spatially resolved developmental brain atlases.