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Everything about Motor cortex
Region of the cerebral cortex involved in voluntary movement
The motor cortex comprises interconnected fields on the posterior frontal lobe—chiefly Brodmann area 4 and area 6 —that plan, select and execute voluntary movements. These regions transform goals into patterned activity in descending pathways to brainstem and spinal motor circuits, enabling dexterous eye, face and limb actions. Modern work shows overlapping, action‑type representations rather than a strictly point‑to‑point "homunculus", and highlights direct cortico‑motoneuronal projections that underwrite fine finger control. Clinically, motor‑cortical organization shapes deficits after stroke and neurodegenerative disease and guides mapping for neurosurgery and neurotechnology. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: Motor cortexA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: A somato-cognitive action network alternates with effector regions in motor cortexInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: Life after a Rare Brain Tumour and Supplementary Motor Area SyndromeThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: Functional connectivity in the motor cortex of resting human brain using echo‐planar mriCited 9,102 times
- Go sideways: Supplementary motor areaA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Premotor cortexA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun The part of the cerebral cortex involved in motion
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
Functional connectivity in the motor cortex of resting human brain using echo‐planar mri
Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation
Theta Burst Stimulation of the Human Motor Cortex
NON-INVASIVE MAGNETIC STIMULATION OF HUMAN MOTOR CORTEX
SOMATIC MOTOR AND SENSORY REPRESENTATION IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF MAN AS STUDIED BY ELECTRICAL STIMULATION
Action recognition in the premotor cortex
Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actions
Corticocortical inhibition in human motor cortex.
🆕 Influential since 2022
A somato-cognitive action network alternates with effector regions in motor cortex
Induction of Human Motor Cortex Plasticity by Theta Burst Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation
Microstimulation of human somatosensory cortex evokes task-dependent, spatially patterned responses in motor cortex
Learned Motor Patterns Are Replayed in Human Motor Cortex during Sleep
Motor cortex retains and reorients neural dynamics during motor imagery
📚 Books worth reading
Life after a Rare Brain Tumour and Supplementary Motor Area SyndromeAlex Jelly, Adel Helmy · 2019
The BereitschaftspotentialMarjan Jahanshahi, Mark Hallett · 2003
The Anatomy of Manual DexterityIan Darian-Smith, M. P. Galea · 1996
Cortical ConnectivityRobert Chen, john rothwell · 2012
Motor Areas of the Cerebral CortexCIBA Foundation Symposium · 1987
The central course of the Nervus octavus and its influence on motilityCornelis Winkler · 1907
Sensorimotor foundations of higher cognitionPatrick Haggard · 2007
Higher-order motor disordersHans-Joachim Freund, Marc Jeannerod · 2005
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- Supplementary motor area The supplementary motor area (SMA) is a part of the motor cortex of primates that contributes to the control of movement. It is located on the midline…
- Premotor cortex The premotor cortex is an area of the motor cortex lying within the frontal lobe of the brain just anterior to the primary motor cortex. It occupies part…
- Primary motor cortex The primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4) is a brain region that in humans is located in the dorsal portion of the frontal lobe. It is the primary region…
- Nonprimary motor cortex Nonprimary motor cortex is a functionally defined portion of the frontal lobe. It includes two subdivisions, the premotor cortex and the supplementary…
- Michael Graziano Michael Steven Anthony Graziano (born May 22, 1967) is an American scientist and novelist who is currently a professor of psychology and neuroscience at…
- Corticospinal tract The corticospinal tract is a white matter motor pathway starting at the cerebral cortex that terminates on lower motor neurons and interneurons in the…
- Premovement neuronal activity Premovement neuronal activity in neurophysiological literature refers to neuronal modulations that alter the rate at which neurons fire before a subject…
- Precentral gyrus The precentral gyrus is a prominent gyrus on the surface of the posterior frontal lobe of the brain. It is the site of the primary motor cortex that in…