The primary motor cortex has a well-earned reputation as the brain’s action center. This strip of tissue initiates limb movements ranging from walking up steps to wielding dining utensils.
However, the primary motor cortex also harbors an introspective side, according to a new study. This brain structure revs up during an experimentally induced illusion in which people mistakenly perceive that a stationary part of their body is moving, say neuroscientist Eiichi Naito of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and his colleagues.
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