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The parietal operculum is the portion of the parietal lobe on the outside surface of the brain bordering the lateral sulcus, and the extension of this cortex which forms the posterior ceiling of the lateral sulcus. It contains the secondary somatosensory cortex (region S2).

Secondary somatosensory cortexEdit

Main article: Secondary somatosensory cortex

In monkeys, apes and hominids region S2 is divided into several "areas". In humans, the area adjoining the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is called the parietal ventral area (PV). Adjacent to PV, but towards the posterior of the parietal operculum, is area S2 - which must not be confused with region S2 (which designates the entire secondary somatosensory cortex, of which area S2 is a part). Deeper in the lateral sulcus, bordering areas PV and S2, lies the ventral somatosensory area (VS). In humans, the parietal operculum includes parts of Brodmann areas 40 and 43.

Areas PV and S2 both map the body surface. Functional neuroimaging in humans has revealed that in areas PV and S2 the face is represented nearest the entrance to the lateral sulcus, and the hands and feet deeper in the fissure, nearer the border with VS. Individual neurons in areas PV and S2 receive input from wide areas of the body surface (they have large "receptive fields"), and respond readily to stimuli such as wiping a sponge over a large area of skin.

Areas S2 in the left and right hemispheres are densely interconnected, and stimulation on one side of the body will activate area S2 in both hemispheres. Area S2 is interconnected with Brodmann area (BA) 1, and densely so with BA 3b, and projects to PV, BA 7b, insular cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. PV connects densely with BA 5 and the premotor cortex.^[1][2]

In EinsteinEdit

It was observed, post-mortem, that Albert Einstein was without this section of the brain and that adjacent areas were enlarged.^[3]

ReferencesEdit

v·d·e Human brain: forebrain (cerebrum · cerebral cortex · cerebral hemispheres, grey matter) (TA A14.1.09.002–240, 301–320, GA 9.818–826)
Frontal lobe	Superolateral Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus (4l, 6l, 8l) · Middle frontal gyrus (9l, 10l, 46) Inferior frontal gyrus: 11l · 47-Pars orbitalis · Broca's area (44-Pars opercularis, 45-Pars triangularis) Superior frontal sulcus · Inferior frontal sulcus Precentral Precentral gyrus · Precentral sulcus Medial/inferior Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus (4m, 6m) · Medial frontal gyrus (8m, 9m) Paraterminal gyrus/Paraolfactory area (12) · Straight gyrus (11m) · Orbital gyri/Orbitofrontal cortex (10m, 11m, 12) · Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (10m) · Subcallosal area (25) Olfactory sulcus · Orbital sulci Precentral Paracentral lobule (4) · Paracentral sulcus Both Primary motor cortex (4) · Premotor cortex (6) · Supplementary motor area (6) · Frontal eye fields (8)
Parietal lobe	Superolateral Superior parietal lobule (5l, 7l) · Inferior parietal lobule (40-Supramarginal gyrus, 39-Angular gyrus) · Parietal operculum (43) Intraparietal sulcus Medial/inferior Paracentral lobule (1m, 2m, 3m, 5m) · Precuneus (7m) Marginal sulcus Both Postcentral gyrus/primary somatosensory cortex (1 · 2 · 3) · Secondary somatosensory cortex (5) · Posterior parietal cortex (7)
Occipital lobe	Superolateral Occipital pole of cerebrum · Lateral occipital gyrus (18, 19) · Lunate sulcus · Transverse occipital sulcus Medial/inferior Primary visual cortex (17) · Cuneus · Lingual gyrus Calcarine fissure
Temporal lobe	Superolateral Transverse temporal gyrus/Primary auditory cortex (41, 42) · Superior temporal gyrus (38, 22/Wernicke's area) · Middle temporal gyrus (21) · Inferior temporal gyrus (20) Superior temporal sulcus · Inferior temporal sulcus Medial/inferior Fusiform gyrus (37) Medial temporal lobe (27 · 28 · 34 · 35 · 36) Inferior temporal sulcus
Interlobar sulci/fissures	Superolateral Central (frontal+parietal) · Lateral (frontal+parietal+temporal) · Parieto-occipital · Preoccipital notch Medial/inferior Medial longitudinal · Cingulate (frontal+cingulate) · Collateral (temporal+occipital) · Callosal sulcus
Limbic lobe	Parahippocampal gyrus anterior (Entorhinal cortex, Perirhinal cortex) · Posterior parahippocampal gyrus · Prepyriform area Cingulate cortex/gyrus Subgenual area (25) · Anterior cingulate (24, 32, 33) · Posterior cingulate (23, 31) Isthmus of cingulate gyrus: Retrosplenial cortex (26, 29, 30) Hippocampal formation Hippocampal sulcus · Fimbria of hippocampus · Dentate gyrus · Rhinal sulcus Other Supracallosal gyrus · Uncus
Insular lobe	Long gyrus of insula · Short gyri of insula · Circular sulcus of insula
General	Operculum · Poles of cerebral hemispheres
Some categorizations are approximations, and some Brodmann areas span gyri.Template:Central nervous system navs

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