The motor cortex controls voluntary movement and is divided into regions representing different parts of the body. It works with the premotor areas to plan and execute movement. Damage can lead to paralysis and difficulty learning motor skills. The homunculus map shows the distorted representation of the body on the cortex.
The motor cortex of the brain is a region in the back of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement. Neurons in this region of the brain send signals along the spinal cord to muscles to coordinate movements. The motor cortex is divided into regions that represent regions of the body, and neurons in each region correspond to movements in the relevant part of the body. This area is also involved in movement learning and coordination.
The motor cortex works in harmony with the premotor areas in the frontal cortex to plan and execute voluntary movement. It is made up of Betz cells, special neurons that send axons into the spinal cord. These axons communicate with spinal neurons by synaptic transmission. Betz cells are the largest neurons in the central nervous system and project into all layers of the cortex.
Damage or injury to the motor cortex can lead to paralysis or difficulty with voluntary motor control. The paralysis will be on the contralateral side of the body, so if the right side of the cortex is damaged, the left side of the body will be affected. Damage to this area can also interfere with learning motor skills.
The central sulcus is a wrinkle in the brain that divides the frontal and parietal lobes. It runs in the middle of the brain. The motor cortex is just on the anterior side of this division. On the other side is the somatosensory cortex, which handles sensory information from the body.
Neurons in the motor cortex send signals along axons located in the white matter of the brain. These signals continue to travel to the brainstem, where they cross over in the medulla oblongata and travel to the contralateral side of the body. These neural signals continue along the lateral corticospinal tract where they connect to lower motor neurons via interneurons or direct synaptic connections.
The motor cortex can be mapped as it provides motor control to different parts of the body. The “homunculus” is a distorted representation of the body diffused throughout the cortex. The hand and arm are enlarged, indicating finer voluntary motor control in these regions. In people who frequently perform specialized motor movements, such as pianists, finger regions may be even larger. If the body undergoes major changes such as amputation, the representational map of the body on the cortex will also change.
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