Sensory and motor areas in the cortex


The different areas and sections in the cortex

Central sulcus

Premotor cortex

Primary motor cortex

Correlation between the regions of cortex and each body part

Primary somatosensory cortex


Sensory and motor areas in the cortex

Different areas and sections in the cortex are associated with specific functions. Right on top and across the middle, there are two adjacent areas that have complementary functions: the motor cortex and the sensory cortex.

They rest either side of the central sulcus which is the transversal dividing line. Neurones in the motor cortex extend axons down the length of the spine and establish connections via the spine to muscles to create voluntary muscle contraction and movement. The motor cortex has further sub-areas such as the premotor cortex that deals with the activity preceding movement e.g. movement planning, and the primary motor cortex that deals with the signalling to muscles itself.

Correlation between the regions of the cortex and  each body part 

The association of specific areas to body parts exists, but is not strict and may be overlapping in certain regions. It follows the feet (top of the cortex) through to other body parts and ending with the tongue at the bottom of the cortex. There is a direct correlation between the regions…

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