Good Somatosensory Area Vs. Cerebral Cortex Essay Example

The somatosensory cortex located in the post-central gyrus is the most anterior region of the parietal lobes. On the other hand, the primary motor cortex located in the pre-central area is the most posterior region of the frontal lobe. Each section of the somatosensory cortex receives information from various organs of the body in a sequential and organized manner. In addition to localizing the source of sensory input, the somatosensory cortex also comprehends the intensity of the stimulus . Each section of the highly organized somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex stimulate the specific body parts in a sequential manner. The size of the cortex allocated to different regions of the body is disproportionate in both the somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex.
Another similarity between the somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex is that the projection tracts cross from one side of the central nervous system to the other . The activity of the muscle neurons in the left cerebral hemisphere results in muscle contractions on the right side of the body and vice versa due to the function of the motor cortex. Another similarity is the level of cognitive brain function that takes place in the areas. Both the areas offer a high level of cognitive brain function. The primary areas of both the somatosensory cortex and primary motor cortex process and interpret the sensory information to plan the movement of the muscles . While the primary motor cortex encodes the force, direction, extension and speed of a movement, the primary somatosensory area receives input from the skin, muscles and joints. Each of the primary areas has a higher order sensory area, which integrate the information and provide complex aspects of the input.

Works cited

Conn, Michael. Neuroscience in Medicine. Beaverton, OR: Springer Science & Business Media, 2008.
McCorry, Laurie Kelly. Essentials of Human Physiology for Pharmacy. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2004.