somesthetic cortex

Examples of somesthetic cortex in the following topics:

• Mapping the Primary Somatosensory Area

  • A cortical homunculus is a pictorial representation of the anatomical divisions of the primary motor cortex and the primary somatosensory cortex; it is the portion of the human brain directly responsible for the movement and exchange of sensory and motor information of the body.
  • Each one shows a representation of how much of its respective cortex innervates certain body parts.
  • The primary somesthetic cortex (sensory) pertains to the signals within the postcentral gyrus coming from the thalamus, and the primary motor cortex pertains to signals within the precentral gyrus coming from the premotor area of the frontal lobes.
  • Typically, the area of the body corresponds to a point on the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus).
  • Areas such as the appendages, digits, and face can draw their sensory locations upon the somatosensory cortex.

• Motor Areas

  • The motor areas of the brain are located in both hemispheres of the cortex.
  • Premotor cortex: Located anterior to the primary motor cortex and responsible for some aspects of motor control.
  • Posterior parietal cortex – Guides planned movements, spatial reasoning, and attention.
  • Various experiments examining the motor cortex map showed that each point in motor cortex influences a range of muscles and joints, indicating significant overlapping in the map.
  • $$Topography of the human motor cortex, including the premotor cortex, SMA, primary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and posterior parietal cortex.

• Neural Mechanisms (Cortex)

  • The primary motor cortex is the neural center for voluntary respiratory control.
  • More broadly, the motor cortex is responsible for initiating any voluntary muscular movement.
  • Different parts of the cerebral cortex control different forms of voluntary respiration.
  • Topography of the primary motor cortex, on an outline drawing of the human brain.
  • Each part of the primary motor cortex controls a different part of the body.

• Sensory Areas

  • Most sensory information is routed to the cerebral cortex via the thalamus.
  • The cortex is commonly described as composed of three parts: sensory, motor, and association areas.
  • The primary somatosensory cortex, located across the central sulcus and behind the primary motor cortex, is configured to generally correspond with the arrangement of nearby motor cells related to specific body parts.
  • For example, the right primary somatosensory cortex receives information from the left limbs, and the right visual cortex receives information from the left eye.
  • Similarly, there is a tonotopic map in the primary auditory cortex and a somatotopic map in the primary sensory cortex.

• Cerebral Cortex

  • The cerebral cortex is the outermost layered structure of the brain and controls higher brain functions such as information processing.
  • The cerebral cortex, the largest part of the mammalian brain, is the wrinkly gray outer covering of the cerebrum.
  • The cerebral cortex is considered the ultimate control and information-processing center in the brain.
  • The cortex is wrinkly in appearance.
  • Beneath the cerebral cortex is the cerebrum, which serves as the main thought and control center of the brain.

• Internal Anatomy of the Kidneys

  • There are three major regions of the kidney: renal cortex, renal medulla, and renal pelvis.
  • The renal cortex is a space between the medulla and outer capsule.
  • Erythropotein, a hormone necessary for the synthesis of new red blood cells, is also produced in the renal cortex.
  • At one end of each nephron, in the cortex of the kidney, is a cup shaped structure called the Bowman's capsule.
  • Distinguish between the cortex and medulla in the internal anatomy of the kidney

• Brain: Cerebral Cortex and Brain Lobes

  • It includes the cerebral cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebellum.
  • The cortex is composed of two hemispheres, right and left, which are separated by a large sulcus.
  • Areas within the motor cortex map to different muscle groups; there is some organization to this map .
  • The parietal lobe contains a somatosensory map of the body similar to the motor cortex.
  • Different parts of the motor cortex control different muscle groups.

• The Brain

  • As a rule, the smaller the cerebrum, the less convoluted the cortex.
  • The cortex of a rat or mouse is almost completely smooth.
  • The cortex of a dolphin or whale, on the other hand, is more convoluted than the cortex of a human.
  • The left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex are nearly symmetrical.
  • The division into lobes does not actually arise from the structure of the cortex itself.

• Adrenal Cortex

  • The adrenal cortex is devoted to the synthesis of corticosteroid and androgen hormones.
  • The adrenal cortex comprises three zones, or layers: Zona glomerulosa (outer), Zona fasciculata and Zona reticularis.
  • Androstenedione (Andro): an androgenic steroid produced by the testes, adrenal cortex, and ovaries.
  • The layers of the adrenal cortex are shown in this figure.
  • Differentiate among the zones (and hormones produced) of the adrenal cortex

• Overview of the Cerebrum

  • The cortex is composed of two hemispheres, right and left, separated by a large sulcus.
  • Damage to motor areas of cortex can lead to certain types of motor neuron disease.
  • Speech and language are mainly attributed to parts of the cerebral cortex.
  • The cerebral cortex is the outer layer depicted in dark violet.
  • Notice the folded structure of the cortex: the "valleys" of the cortex are known as sulci.