somatotopic organization

the topographic distribution of areas of the motor cortex relating to specific activities of skeletal muscles, as mapped by electrically stimulating a point in the cortex and observing associated movement of a skeletal muscle in the face, the trunk, or a limb. See also motor homunculus.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

short-wavelength pigment

the photopigment present in one of the three populations of retinal cones that has maximum sensitivity to a wavelength of 419 nm. The absence of the gene for the short-wavelength pigment causes tritanopia, a form of color blindness in which blue and green are confused with one another. See also long-wavelength pigment; medium-wavelength pigment.