Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Two different areas within the primary motor cortex of man

Abstract

THE primary motor area (M1) of mammals has long been considered to be structurally and functionally homogeneous1–5. This area corresponds to Brodmann's cytoarchitectural area 4. A few reports showing that arm and hand are doubly represented in M1 of macaque monkeys6,7 and perhaps man8, and that each subarea has separate connections from somatosensory areas, have, with a few exceptions9–12, gone largely unnoticed. Here we show that area 4 in man can be subdivided into areas '4 anterior' (4a) and '4 posterior' (4p) on the basis of both quantitative cytoarchitecture and quantitative distributions of transmitter-binding sites. We also show by positron emission tomography that two representations of the fingers exist, one in area 4a and one in area 4p. Roughness discrimination activated area 4p significantly more than a control condition of self-generated movements. We therefore suggest that the primary motor area is subdivided on the basis of anatomy, neurochemistry and function.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fritsch, G. & Hitzig, E. Arch. Anat. Physiol. Wiss. Med. 37, 300–332 (1870).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Foerster, O. in Handbuch der Neurologie (eds Bumke, O. & Foerster, O.) 1–357 (Springer, Berlin, 1936).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Penfield, W. & Boldrey, E. Brain 60, 389–443 (1937).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Woolsey, C. N. et al. Res. Publ. Assoc. Res. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 30, 238–264 (1952).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Brodmann, K. Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Grosshirnrinde (Barth, Leipzig, 1909).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Strick, P. L. & Preston, J. B. J. Neurophysiol. 48, 139–149 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Strick, P. L. & Preston, J. B. J. Neurophysiol. 48, 150–159 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kawashima, R. et al. Neuroreport 6, 238–240 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Matelli, M., Luppino, G., Fogassi, L. & Rizzolatti, G. J. Comp. Neurol. 280, 468–488 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Stepniewska, I., Preuss, T. M. & Kaas, J. H. J. Comp. Neurol. 330, 238–271 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Stepniewska, I., Preuss, T. M. & Kaas, J. H. J. Comp. Neurol. 349, 558–582 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Stepniewska, I., Preuss, T. M. & Kaas, J. H. J. Comp. Neurol. 349, 536–557 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Schleicher, A. & Zilles, K. J. Microsc. 157, 367–381 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Roland, P. E. & Zilles, K. Trends Neurosci. 17, 458–467 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schormann, T., von Matthey, M., Dabringhaus, A. & Zilles, K. Bioimaging 1, 119–128 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Schormann, T., Dabringhaus, A. & Zilles, K. IEEE Trans. Med. Imag. 14, 25–35 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Roland, P. E. et al. Hum. Brain Map. 1, 173–184 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Roland, P. E. & Mortensen, E. Brain Res. Rev. 12, 1–42 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Seitz, R. J., Roland, P. E., Bohm, C., Greitz, T. & Stone-Elander, S. Eur. J. Neurosci. 3, 481–492 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kunesch, E., Binkofski, F. & Freund, H. J. Exp. Brain Res. 78, 539–546 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Merker, B. J. Neurosci. Methods 9, 235–241 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Mahalanobis, P. C., Majumda, D. N. & Rao, C. R. Sankhya Kalkutta 9, 89–324 (1949).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Zilles, K. & Schleicher, A. in Autoradiography and Correlative Imaging (eds Stumpf, W. & Solomon, H.) 277–307 (Academic, San Diego, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Roland, P. E. & Larsen, B. Arch. Neurol. 33, 551–558 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Roland, P. E., Levin, B., Kawashima, R. & Åkerman, S. Hum. Brain Map. 1, 3–19 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Geyer, S., Ledberg, A., Schleicher, A. et al. Two different areas within the primary motor cortex of man. Nature 382, 805–807 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/382805a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/382805a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing