Practice question · Multiple choice
On the cortical body map, the hand and lips occupy far more territory than the entire trunk. Why is the map proportioned by something other than body size?
Hints
- Ask what you can do with your fingertips that you cannot do with your back.
- Cortex is a limited resource. What would you spend it on?
Show the answer
A. Because cortical area tracks receptor density and control precision.
Why
Cortex is allocated by information density and precision of control: fingertips discriminate two points a millimetre or two apart, the back several centimetres. And the allocation is not fixed, musicians show enlarged finger representations, and after amputation neighbours expand into the vacated territory. The map is a budget rather than an anatomical diagram.
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