The Somatosensory and Motor Cortex!
Logically placed between the parietal lobes and our frontal lobes (the executive), are two strips called the somatosensory cortex and the motor cortex (see right).
The somatosensory cortex coordinates the sensory data that comes up from all over the body. It makes good usage of its close proximity to the parietal lobes and helps make up good hunters and skilled navigators in a world full of obstacles.
The motor cortex, as the name implies, coordinates our bodily movements (in strong relation with the cerebellum. Again, it’s proximity to the somatosensory cortex and the PFC is highly logical. The smooth coordination between all these areas is what keeps us elegantly functional in day-to-day life situations.
We have been able to map out the general areas of the motor cortex that correlate with our external body senses (see right).
The somatosensory cortex coordinates the sensory data that comes up from all over the body. It makes good usage of its close proximity to the parietal lobes and helps make up good hunters and skilled navigators in a world full of obstacles.
The motor cortex, as the name implies, coordinates our bodily movements (in strong relation with the cerebellum. Again, it’s proximity to the somatosensory cortex and the PFC is highly logical. The smooth coordination between all these areas is what keeps us elegantly functional in day-to-day life situations.
We have been able to map out the general areas of the motor cortex that correlate with our external body senses (see right).
The famous "homunculus". The larger areas are where we are the most sensitive. (Homunculus is proportionate to our sensory cortex's design.)
