Sensory cortex
Encyclopedia
The sensory cortex can refer informally to the primary somatosensory cortex, or it can be used as an umbrella term
for the primary and secondary cortices
of the different sense
s (two cortices each, on left and right hemisphere): the visual cortex
on the occipital lobes, the auditory cortex on the temporal lobes, the primary olfactory cortex on the uncus
of the piriform
region of the temporal lobes, the gustatory cortex
on the insular lobe
(also referred to as the insular cortex), and the primary somatosensory cortex on the anterior parietal lobes. Just posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex lies the somatosensory association cortex, which integrates sensory information from the primary somatosensory cortex (temperature, pressure, etc.) to construct an understanding of the object being felt. Inferior to the frontal lobes are found the olfactory bulbs, which receive sensory input from the olfactory nerves and route those signals throughout the brain. Not all olfactory information is routed to the olfactory cortex. Some neural fibers are routed directly to limbic structures, while others are routed to the supraorbital region of the frontal lobe. Such a direct limbic connection makes the olfactory sense unique.
The brain cortical regions related to auditory, visual, olfactory, and somatosensory (touch, proprioception
) sensation are located lateral to the lateral fissure and posterior to the central sulcus
, that is, more toward the back of the brain. The cortical region related to gustatory sensation is located anterior to the central sulcus.
Note that the central sulcus (sometimes referred to as the central fissure) divides the primary motor cortex (on the precentral gyrus of the posterior frontal lobe) from the somatosensory cortex (on the postcentral gyrus of the anterior parietal lobe).
The somatosensory cortex is involved in somatic sensation, visual stimuli, and movement planning.
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
for the primary and secondary cortices
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
of the different sense
Sense
Senses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
s (two cortices each, on left and right hemisphere): the visual cortex
Visual cortex
The visual cortex of the brain is the part of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe, in the back of the brain....
on the occipital lobes, the auditory cortex on the temporal lobes, the primary olfactory cortex on the uncus
Uncus
The anterior extremity of the Parahippocampal gyrus is recurved in the form of a hook, the uncus, which is separated from the apex of the temporal lobe by a slight fissure, the incisura temporalis....
of the piriform
Piriform cortex
In anatomy of animals, the piriform cortex, or pyriform cortex is a region in the brain.-Anatomy and function:The piriform cortex is part of the rhinencephalon situated in the telencephalon....
region of the temporal lobes, the gustatory cortex
Gustatory cortex
The primary gustatory cortex is a brain structure responsible for the perception of taste. It consists of two substructures: the anterior insula on the insular lobe and the frontal operculum on the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe. Because of its composition the primary gustatory cortex...
on the insular lobe
Insular cortex
In each hemisphere of the mammalian brain the insular cortex is a portion of the cerebral cortex folded deep within the lateral sulcus between the temporal lobe and the frontal lobe. The cortical area overlying it towards the lateral surface of the brain is the operculum...
(also referred to as the insular cortex), and the primary somatosensory cortex on the anterior parietal lobes. Just posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex lies the somatosensory association cortex, which integrates sensory information from the primary somatosensory cortex (temperature, pressure, etc.) to construct an understanding of the object being felt. Inferior to the frontal lobes are found the olfactory bulbs, which receive sensory input from the olfactory nerves and route those signals throughout the brain. Not all olfactory information is routed to the olfactory cortex. Some neural fibers are routed directly to limbic structures, while others are routed to the supraorbital region of the frontal lobe. Such a direct limbic connection makes the olfactory sense unique.
The brain cortical regions related to auditory, visual, olfactory, and somatosensory (touch, proprioception
Proprioception
Proprioception , from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own" and perception, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement...
) sensation are located lateral to the lateral fissure and posterior to the central sulcus
Central sulcus
-External links:* via the Neuroscience Information Framework...
, that is, more toward the back of the brain. The cortical region related to gustatory sensation is located anterior to the central sulcus.
Note that the central sulcus (sometimes referred to as the central fissure) divides the primary motor cortex (on the precentral gyrus of the posterior frontal lobe) from the somatosensory cortex (on the postcentral gyrus of the anterior parietal lobe).
The somatosensory cortex is involved in somatic sensation, visual stimuli, and movement planning.