Final answer:
The primary cortical areas in the cerebral cortex handle the processing in the sensory areas for the somatosensory system. They are followed in this processing pathway by the association areas and multimodal integration areas. The sensory information is initially processed, and then further examined, and integrated.
Step-by-step explanation:
The level of neural integration in the somatosensory system that involves processing in the sensory areas of the cerebral cortex is the primary cortical area. In the cerebral cortex, sensory processing begins at the primary sensory cortex, then proceeds to an association area, and finally, into a multimodal integration area. For example, the visual pathway starts from the retina and passes through the thalamus to reach the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe. Here, visual stimuli begin to be recognized as basic shapes and inputs from both eyes are compared to estimate depth information.
There are three types of processing regions in the cerebral cortex: primary, association, and integration areas. The primary cortical areas are where sensory information is initially processed and where motor commands start to go to the brain stem or spinal cord. Association areas are adjacent to primary areas and further process the input. Multimodal integration areas, found where the modality-specific regions meet, and process multiple or different modalities based on similar functions such as vision or somatosensation.
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