Last update: Dec 2nd, 2017

Other Motor Cortex Areas

• Before it becomes fully active, the primary motor cortex receives input from other motor cortex areas. This information is needed to bring about coordinated, well-planned and purposeful movements.

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• Anterior to the primary motor cortex is the premotor cortex (lateral) and the supplementary motor area (medial), which correspond to Brodmann area 6.

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• In general, the premotor area anticipates and plans movements based on external sensory cues, such as responses to events that are seen or heard.
• The supplementary motor area, in contrast, selects and plans complex movements involving both sides of the body based on internal cues, such as thoughts or memory.
• Most of the information generated by these areas is passed to the primary motor cortex for execution and the rest travels directly down the spinal cord to the skeletal muscles.
• The posterior parietal cortex (or Brodmann areas 5 and 7) also participates in the motor planning process.

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• It receives and integrates visual, auditory, and somatosensory (sense of body) inputs from other brain areas.
• From these inputs, it produces information about the position of the body parts and external objects, which is used by the premotor and supplementary cortex areas to accurately plan actions.

• The following shows how the motor cortex areas produce an action:
• (1) Limb and paper location is sent to the motor cortex areas from the posterior parietal cortex.

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• (2) An action is planned by the supplementary and premotor areas.

• (3) The action plan is relayed to the primary motor cortex.

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• (4) Limb muscles receive impulses from the primary motor cortex.

Overview:

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