The area of the somatosensory cortex devoted to an area of the body surface is proportional to the:
A) density of sensory receptors on the area.
B) size of the area relative to the rest of the body.
C) number of somatotopic maps for that region of the body.
D) the number of relay nuclei between the body surface and cortex.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The area of the somatosensory cortex devoted to an area of the body surface is proportional to the density of sensory receptors on the area. This means that the greater the density of sensory receptors in a specific area, the greater the area of somatosensory cortex that is dedicated to that area of the body.

The Area of the Somatosensory Cortex Devoted to an Area