The sensorimotor network (SMN), also known as somatomotor network, is a large-scale brain network that primarily includes

somatosensory In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position ( proprioception), and pain. It ...

( postcentral gyrus) and motor ( precentral gyrus) regions and extends to the supplementary motor areas (SMA). The

auditory cortex The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and many other vertebrates. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing, such as possible relations to ...

may also be included. The SMN is activated during motor tasks, such as finger tapping, indicating that the network readies the brain when performing and coordinating motor tasks.

Clinical significance

Dysfunction in the SMN has been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders. *

Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevat ...

: The psychomotor disturbances that characterize the depressive and manic phases of bipolar disorder may be related to dysfunction in the sensorimotor network (SMN) and its balance with other large-scale networks such as the

default mode network In neuroscience, the default mode network (DMN), also known as the default network, default state network, or anatomically the medial frontoparietal network (M-FPN), is a large-scale brain network primarily composed of the dorsal medial pref ...

. *

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

: Altered functional connectivity patterns in the SMN may contribute to various symptoms in the neurodegenerative disease .

Nomenclature

In 2019, Uddin et al. proposed that ''pericentral network'' (''PN'') be used as a standard anatomical name for the network.

References

{{Human connectomics Neuroscience Brain