Lifeboat Foundation

Even a simple movement like pushing a button sends ripples of activity throughout networks of neurons spanning across the brain, new University of Oregon research shows.

The finding highlights just how complex the human brain is, challenging the simplified textbook picture of distinct brain areas dedicated to specific functions.

“It’s really well known that that the primary motor cortex controls movement output,” said Alex Rockhill, a graduate student in the lab of human physiology professor Nicki Swann. “But there’s a lot more to movement than this one brain area.”