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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Coordinated Representational Drift Across the Mouse Cortex.

Research square·2026

Same author

CortexCAM: A Camera Array Microscope for Cortex-Wide Cellular Imaging in Freely Locomoting Mice.

Research square·2026

Same author

Coordinated Representational Drift Across the Mouse Cortex.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Cortex-wide characterization of decision-making neural dynamics during spatial navigation.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Pan-cortical cellular imaging in freely behaving mice using a miniaturized micro-camera array microscope (mini-MCAM).

Science advances·2025

Same author

Computer vision-guided rapid and precise automated cranial microsurgeries in mice.

Science advances·2025

Same journal

Layered social competition coordinates reproductive hierarchy formation in ants.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same journal

Combination epigenetic-targeted therapy increases the immunogenicity of poorly immunogenic sarcomas.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same journal

Loss of LanC-like proteins delays post-injury regeneration of aging skeletal muscles.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same journal

Integrative Transfer Network: Deep Transfer Learning Across Populations and Prediction Targets.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same journal

Confidence-supported label-free metabolic imaging with FPhaS phase autofluorescence microscopy.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same journal

Sequence-encoded autoinhibition couples mRNA decapping activity to phase separation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Flat-floored Air-lifted Platform: A New Method for Combining Behavior with Microscopy or Electrophysiology on Awake Freely Moving Rodents

Flat-floored Air-lifted Platform: A New Method for Combining Behavior with Microscopy or Electrophysiology on Awake Freely Moving Rodents

Published on: June 29, 2014

Cortex-Wide Cellular Imaging in Freely Locomoting Mice Using Cortex Camera Array Microscope (CortexCAM).

Arun Cherkkil¹, Zoey Viavattine¹, Vamsy Kota¹

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|February 23, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed the Cortex Camera Array Microscope (CortexCAM) for simultaneous, wide-field imaging of over 9000 neurons. This mobile system enables unprecedented cellular-resolution studies of brain activity during natural behaviors in freely moving mice.

More Related Videos

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: June 13, 2017

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Published on: April 21, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Flat-floored Air-lifted Platform: A New Method for Combining Behavior with Microscopy or Electrophysiology on Awake Freely Moving Rodents

Flat-floored Air-lifted Platform: A New Method for Combining Behavior with Microscopy or Electrophysiology on Awake Freely Moving Rodents

Published on: June 29, 2014

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: June 13, 2017

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Coding and Mechanisms of Visual Processing in the Superior Colliculus

Published on: April 21, 2023

Area of Science:

Systems Neuroscience
Neuroimaging
Cellular Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding neural circuits underlying behavior requires monitoring neuronal activity across brain regions.
Current techniques often limit simultaneous imaging to small brain areas or require head-fixed preparations.
Studying naturalistic behaviors in freely moving animals presents significant technical challenges for neural recording.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel imaging system for large-scale, cellular-resolution recording of neuronal activity in the dorsal cortex.
To enable simultaneous imaging of neuronal populations across multiple cortical areas in behaving animals.
To facilitate the study of brain-wide neural dynamics during complex, ethologically relevant behaviors.

Main Methods:

Engineered the Cortex Camera Array Microscope (CortexCAM) integrating four miniaturized fluorescence microscopes.
Achieved simultaneous imaging of cellular activity across >48 mm² of the dorsal cortex, covering multiple functional areas.
Integrated CortexCAM into a mobile gantry system for volitional motion control in behavioral arenas.

Main Results:

The CortexCAM can image over 9000 individual neurons across motor, somatosensory, visual, and association cortices.
The mobile CortexCAM system successfully performed cortex-wide, cellular-resolution imaging in freely locomoting mice.
Demonstrated imaging during complex behaviors including alternating choice tasks and social interactions.

Conclusions:

The CortexCAM provides a powerful tool for systems neuroscience, enabling cortex-wide neural recordings in naturalistic behaviors.
This technology overcomes limitations of head-fixed preparations, opening new avenues for understanding brain function during volitional movement and social interaction.
The mobile CortexCAM facilitates the study of large-scale neural dynamics underlying complex behaviors previously inaccessible to cellular-resolution imaging.