somatosensory area

anatomy

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July 14, 2026

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The somatosensory area is a region of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing touch, temperature, pain, and pressure sensations from the body. The brain has three main somatosensory areas. The primary somatosensory area, located in the postcentral gyrus, receives direct input from the thalamus. A secondary area is situated behind the motor strip, and a supplementary area is on the medial surface of the hemisphere. These areas work together to integrate sensory information, allowing for the recognition and spatial localization of objects. The brain's representation of the body's surface within these areas is not fixed and can change, a phenomenon known as plasticity.1

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human nervous system
General organization of perception
The cerebral cortex has three somatosensory areas. The primary sensory area occupies the postcentral gyrus immediately behind the motor strip and receives input from the ventrolateral thalamus. The secondary area is above the Sylvian fissure, behind the secondary motor area, and receives somatosensory input from the lateral part of the…
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The cerebral cortex has three somatosensory areas. The primary sensory area occupies the postcentral gyrus immediately behind the motor strip and receives input from the ventrolateral thalamus. The secondary area is above the Sylvian fissure, behind the secondary motor area, and receives somatosensory input from the lateral part of the…
Read More