Premotor Cortex

What is the Premotor Cortex?

The premotor cortex is a region of the brain located in the frontal lobes, just anterior to the primary motor cortex. It plays a crucial role in planning, coordinating, and executing voluntary movements. Some premotor neurons respond during both action and action observation. The role of these responses in action understanding remains debated.

Key Features

• Location

  Located in the frontal lobes of the brain, the premotor cortex is situated just in front of the primary motor cortex. It is part of the larger motor network, which includes areas such as the primary motor cortex, the supplementary motor area, and the posterior parietal cortex.

• Functional Areas

  The premotor cortex is composed of two main areas: the dorsal premotor cortex and the ventral premotor cortex. Dorsal and ventral regions participate in different, partly overlapping sensorimotor networks. The familiar contrast between externally cued and internally selected movements concerns lateral premotor regions versus medial regions such as the supplementary motor area.

• Mirror Neurons

  Within the ventral premotor cortex, a special class of neurons known as mirror neurons has been identified. These neurons were first characterized in monkeys and respond during action execution and observation of related actions. Such responses alone do not establish that they encode another individual's intentions.

Premotor cortex functions

• Movement Planning and Execution

  The premotor cortex contributes to the planning and execution of voluntary movements. It receives information about the desired movement from other parts of the brain, integrates this information, and sends signals to the primary motor cortex to initiate the movement.

• Action Understanding

  Mirror neurons in the premotor cortex may play a role in understanding the actions of others, a concept known as action understanding. It remains disputed whether mirror responses are necessary for action understanding.

• Movement Coordination

  By integrating sensory information and motor plans, the premotor cortex contributes to the coordination of complex movements. This involves coordinating multiple muscle groups and adjusting movements based on feedback from the body.

Premotor Cortex and Neurological Disorders

Damage or dysfunction in the premotor cortex can lead to a variety of motor deficits, including difficulties with movement planning and execution. Conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and certain forms of apraxia (a disorder of motor planning) can be associated with premotor cortex dysfunction. Understanding the role of the premotor cortex in movement and action understanding can guide the development of therapeutic interventions for these conditions.

Sources and further reading

Purves and colleagues: premotor cortex; Hickok on limits of mirror-neuron interpretations.