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.

Quickly and efficiently learn the parts of the brain using these interactive quizzes, diagrams and worksheets.

• 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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