The postcentral gyrus is the strip of parietal cortex directly behind the central sulcus. It holds the primary somatosensory cortex (Brodmann areas 3, 1 and 2), which receives touch, pressure, pain, temperature and position sense from the opposite side of the body. Like the motor strip in front of it, it contains an orderly body map.
| Location | Parietal lobe, immediately posterior to the central sulcus, bounded behind by the postcentral sulcus |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Middle cerebral artery (face and arm areas); Anterior cerebral artery (leg area) |
Receives and first processes body sensation from the opposite side, localising touch and judging texture, shape and limb position.
Lesions cause loss of fine and discriminative sensation on the opposite side, in a distribution that follows the body map (face and hand laterally, leg medially). Simple sensory seizures beginning here cause tingling or numbness that can march along the body. It is a useful landmark for surgeons because it sits directly behind the motor strip.
Infarction causing numbness and impaired position sense on the opposite side of the body.
Brief tingling or numbness of a body part caused by abnormal firing in the postcentral gyrus.
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