Thesensory cortex can refer sometimes to theprimary somatosensory cortex, or it can be used as a term for the primary and secondarycortices of the differentsenses (two cortices each, on left and righthemisphere): thevisual cortex on theoccipital lobes, theauditory cortex on thetemporal lobes, theprimary olfactory cortex on theuncus of thepiriform region of the temporal lobes, thegustatory cortex on theinsular lobe (also referred to as the insular cortex), and the primary somatosensory cortex on the anteriorparietal lobes. Just posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex lies thesomatosensory association cortex or area, which integrates sensory information from the primary somatosensory cortex (temperature, pressure, etc.) to construct an understanding of the object being felt. Inferior to the frontal lobes are found the olfactory bulbs, which receive sensory input from the olfactory nerves and route those signals throughout the brain. Not all olfactory information is routed to the olfactory cortex: some neural fibers are routed to the supraorbital region of the frontal lobe, while others are routed directly tolimbic structures. The direct limbic connection makes the olfactory sense unique.[1]
The brain cortical regions are related to the auditory, visual, olfactory, and somatosensory (touch,proprioception) sensations, which are located lateral to thelateral fissure and posterior to thecentral sulcus, that is, more toward the back of the brain. The cortical region related to gustatory sensation is located anterior to the central sulcus.[1]
Note that the central sulcus (sometimes referred to as the central fissure) divides theprimary motor cortex (on theprecentral gyrus of the posterior frontal lobe) from the primary somatosensory cortex (on thepostcentral gyrus of the anterior parietal lobe).
The sensory cortex is involved in somatic sensation, visual stimuli, and movement planning.
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