A homunculus is a topographical-organized map of the proportional representation of the contralateral somatosensory or motor neurons on the cortex or passing though a part of the brain. The maps are often comical, as the body parts are disproportionally represented compared to their physical size.
There are 3 homunculi of importance:
- motor homunculus on the primary motor cortex of the precentral gyrus
- somatosensory homunculus on the primary sensory cortex of the postcentral gyrus
- motor homunculus in the internal capsule
History and etymology
Homunculus is latin for "little person".
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