motor cortex
Acronym:
The term motor cortex refers to anterodorsal areas of the cerebral cortex that are defined on the basis of internal structure, connectivity and function. The defining structural feature in all species is the absence of granular cell layers; thus, it is also known as agranular cortex ( Wise-1985a, Matelli-2004 ). In the human and the macaque the motor cortex is located in the frontal lobe, primarily in the precentral gyrus and in caudal portions of the superior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus.
     In The rat ( Swanson-2004 ) and the mouse ( Hof-2000 ) it is located dorsolaterally in the anterior half of the cerebral cortex; at the frontal pole it occupies the entire dorsal and lateral aspects of the cortex; from there it gradually narrows to the caudal extreme, where it occupies a narrow band on the dorsal surface along the midline. The motor cortex is composed of two parts: primary motor cortex and premotor cortex. For subcortical structures involved in the control of behavior see subcortical motor system.

Also known as: motor area, somatic motor areas, somatomotor areasNeuroNames ID : 2332


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