Primary Sensory Areas

The primary sensory areas are the main cerebral areas that receive sensory information from thalamic nerve projections.

Though some areas of the human brain that receive primary sensory information remain poorly defined, each of the five sensory modalities has been recognized to relate to specific groups of brain cells that begin to categorize and integrate sensory information.

  • Somatosensory system: The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) is across the central sulcus and behind the primary motor cortex configured to generally correspond with the arrangement of nearby motor cells related to specific body parts. The area includes gray matter along the central gyrus and its extension into the postcentral gyrus.
  • Taste: The primary gustatory area is near the face representation within the postcentral gyrus. It starts at about the most lateral point on the gyrus and continues into the insular cortex where the postcentral gyrus folds over the operculum (Latin: eyelid or lid) of the gyrus at the lateral sulcus.
  • Olfaction: Olfactory cortex located in the uncus which is found along the ventral surface of the temporal lobe. Olfaction is the only sensory system that is not routed through the thalamus.
  • Vision: The visual area known as V1, striate cortex, or (primary visual cortex, Brodmann area 17) is located on the calcarine sulcus deep within the inside folds of the occipital lobe.
  • Hearing: The primary auditory cortex is located on the transverse gyri that lie on the back of the superior temporal convolution of the temporal lobes.
Human brain: forebrain (cerebrum, cerebral cortex, cerebral hemispheres, grey matter) (TA A14.1.09.002–240, 301–320, GA 9.818–826)
Frontal lobe
Superolateral
Prefrontal
  • Superior frontal gyrus
    • 4l
    • 6l
    • 8l
  • Middle frontal gyrus
    • 9l
    • 10l
    • 46
  • Inferior frontal gyrus: 11l
  • 47-Pars orbitalis
  • Broca's area
    • 44-Pars opercularis
    • 45-Pars triangularis
  • Superior frontal sulcus
  • Inferior frontal sulcus
Precentral
  • Precentral gyrus
  • Precentral sulcus
Medial/inferior
Prefrontal
  • Superior frontal gyrus
    • 4m
    • 6m
  • Medial frontal gyrus
    • 8m
    • 9m
  • Paraterminal gyrus/Paraolfactory area
    • 12
  • Straight gyrus
    • 11m
  • Orbital gyri/Orbitofrontal cortex
    • 10m
    • 11m
    • 12
  • Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
    • 10m
  • Subcallosal area
    • 25
  • Olfactory sulcus
  • Orbital sulci
Precentral
  • Paracentral lobule
    • 4
  • Paracentral sulcus
Both
  • Primary motor cortex
    • 4
  • Premotor cortex
    • 6
  • Supplementary motor area
    • 6
  • Frontal eye fields
    • 8
Parietal lobe
Superolateral
  • Superior parietal lobule
    • 5l
    • 7l
  • Inferior parietal lobule
    • 40-Supramarginal gyrus
    • 39-Angular gyrus
  • Parietal operculum
    • 43
  • Intraparietal sulcus
Medial/inferior
  • Paracentral lobule
    • 1m
    • 2m
    • 3m
    • 5m
  • Precuneus
    • 7m
Marginal sulcus
Both
  • Postcentral gyrus/primary somatosensory cortex
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
  • Secondary somatosensory cortex
    • 5
  • Posterior parietal cortex
    • 7
Occipital lobe
Superolateral
  • Occipital pole of cerebrum
  • Lateral occipital gyrus
    • 18
    • 19
  • Lunate sulcus
  • Transverse occipital sulcus
Medial/inferior
  • Primary visual cortex
    • 17
  • Cuneus
  • Lingual gyrus
  • Calcarine fissure
Temporal lobe
Superolateral
  • Transverse temporal gyrus/Primary auditory cortex
    • 41
    • 42
  • Superior temporal gyrus
    • 38
    • 22/Wernicke's area
  • Middle temporal gyrus
    • 21
  • Inferior temporal gyrus
    • 20
  • Superior temporal sulcus
  • Inferior temporal sulcus
Medial/inferior
  • Fusiform gyrus
    • 37
  • Medial temporal lobe
    • 27
    • 28
    • 34
    • 35
    • 36
  • Inferior temporal sulcus
Interlobar
sulci/fissures
Superolateral
  • Central (frontal+parietal)
  • Lateral (frontal+parietal+temporal)
  • Parieto-occipital
  • Preoccipital notch
Medial/inferior
  • Medial longitudinal
  • Cingulate (frontal+cingulate)
  • Collateral (temporal+occipital)
  • Callosal sulcus
Limbic lobe
Parahippocampal gyrus
  • anterior
    • Entorhinal cortex
    • Perirhinal cortex
  • Posterior parahippocampal gyrus
  • Prepyriform area
Cingulate cortex/gyrus
  • Subgenual area
    • 25
  • Anterior cingulate
    • 24
    • 32
    • 33
  • Posterior cingulate
    • 23
    • 31
  • Isthmus of cingulate gyrus: Retrosplenial cortex
    • 26
    • 29
    • 30
Hippocampal formation
  • Hippocampal sulcus
  • Fimbria of hippocampus
  • Dentate gyrus
  • Rhinal sulcus
Other
  • Supracallosal gyrus
  • Uncus
Insular lobe
  • Long gyrus of insula
  • Short gyri of insula
  • Circular sulcus of insula
General
  • Operculum
  • Poles of cerebral hemispheres
Some categorizations are approximations, and some Brodmann areas span gyri.

M: CNS

anat(n/s/m/p/4/e/b/d/c/a/f/l/g)/phys/devp

noco(m/d/e/h/v/s)/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(N1A/2AB/C/3/4/7A/B/C/D)

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