Postcentral gyrus

Author: Danijel Tosovic, PhD • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: March 28, 2024
Reading time: 1 minute

The postcentral gyrus forms the primary somatosensory cortex (Brodmann's areas 3,1,2). It is located on the parietal lobe, immediately posterior to the central sulcus and anterior to the postcentral sulcus.

The postcentral gyrus receives and integrates sensory information relating to touch, pain, temperature, vibration, proprioception and movement. Each postcentral gyrus contains a topographical map of the body parts from the contralateral half of the body, known as the sensory homunculus. Blood supply to the postcentral gyrus is via the anterior and middle cerebral arteries.

Terminology	English: Postcentral gyrus Latin: Gyrus postcentralis
Definition	Gyrus of the parietal lobe that is the site of the primary somatosensory cortex
Location	Parietal lobe, between the central and postcentral sulci

Learn more about the lateral view of the brain with this study unit (and article):

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

Postcentral gyrus: want to learn more about it?

Our engaging videos, interactive quizzes, in-depth articles and HD atlas are here to get you top results faster.

What do you prefer to learn with?

Videos Quizzes Both

“I would honestly say that Kenhub cut my study time in half.” – Read more.

Kim Bengochea, Regis University, Denver

Postcentral gyrus

Sources

Learning anatomy isn't impossible. We're here to help.

Want access to this video?

Want access to this quiz?

Want access to this gallery?

Learning anatomy isn't impossible.
We're here to help.