Somatotopic
Somatotopic refers to the orderly representation of the body’s surface within neural tissue, in which the spatial relationships among body parts are preserved as a map in the brain or spinal cord. This topographic arrangement allows neural circuits to correspond to specific body regions, supporting organized processing of motor commands and sensory information.
In the human brain, primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and primary motor cortex (M1) exhibit somatotopic organization.
Somatotopy is not limited to cortex. Subcortical structures, including the thalamus, brainstem, and cerebellum, also contain
Clinically and scientifically, somatotopy underpins how injuries or changes in use affect cortical organization. Maps can