Posterior parietal cortex

The posterior parietal cortex is located posterior to the somatosensory cortex and serves as its unimodal association area. In addition to further processing of somatosensory input, information from the somatosensory cortex is integrated with visual inputs in this region. Association tracts from both the somatosensory cortex and the visual cortex terminate here. This activity is important for planning complex movements and for hand (prop-rioception)-eye (visual) coordination. 

Figure 2.19 What and where pathways of the primate brain. The what pathway starts at VI and passes through the inferior temporal cortex. The where pathway passes through the posterior parietal cortex. (Reprinted with permission from F. A. W. Wilson, S. P. O Scalaidhe, and P. S. Goldman-Rakic. Dissociation of object and spatial processing domains in primate prefrontal cortex. Science, Vol. 260, pp. 1955-1958, June, Copyright 1993 AAAS.)...

Stages of Self-Motion Processing in Primate Posterior Parietal Cortex... 

There are three other major somatosensory cortical areas, w hich include the primary, secondary, and tertiary somatosensory cortical areas and are soma to topically organized. The secondary somatosensory cortex and the posterior parietal cortex receive their projections from the primary somatosensory cortex and the posterior insular cortex receives input from the secondary somatosensory cortex. Corticortical projections as well as callasol connections are made by neurons of layers two and three. Descending projections to the striatum, brainstem, and spinal cord originate from neurons in layer five, w hile projections to the thalamus originate from neurons in layer six. 

Cavada C, Goldman RP (1989a) Posterior parietal cortex in rhesus monkey I. Parcellation of areas based on distinctive limbic and sensory corticocortical connections. J. Comp. Neurol., 287, 393-421. 

D) Posterior parietal cortex. Data are presented as mean SEM. (From McCulloch et al., 1979.)... 

Andersen R.A. and Bunco C.A. 2002. Intentional maps in posterior parietal cortex. Ann. Rev. 

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