Lesson 3 of 13 · about 4 minutes

Moving and feeling

The motor and sensory strips.

In the 3D app, the brain flies to each part as you read, and 2 quick questions at the end help it stick. Here is the whole lesson to read.

1
The motor strip
The primary motor cortex runs over the top of the brain like a headband. Each spot moves one part of the opposite side of your body. Notice how much room the hand and face get.
More about the primary motor cortex →
2
The sensory strip
Just behind it, the primary somatosensory cortex feels touch from the opposite side of the body, laid out in the same order: a map of you.
More about the primary somatosensory cortex →
3
The legs are on the inside
The leg and foot areas of both strips fold over the top onto the inner surface of the brain, in the paracentral lobule.
More about the paracentral lobule →
4
The cable to the spinal cord
Commands leave the motor strip through the corticospinal tract. They squeeze through the internal capsule and cross to the other side at the bottom of the brainstem.
More about the corticospinal tract →
5
Knowing where your body is
The superior parietal lobule blends touch and vision, so you can reach for a cup without looking at your hand.
More about the superior parietal lobule →

Now see it for yourself

Take this lesson in 3D: turn the brain around, look inside, and finish with 2 quick questions.