Memory Theory of Cortical Homunculus: A Review

Abstract

Background & Aim: To express a perspective on cortical homunculus as a universal memory storehouse and control centre of an organism. The cortical homunculus, the “little human” in the brain is the internal representation of human body parts within the sensory and motor domains of the cortex. It is a fundamental concept of interest among scientists. Its applications in the fields of neurology and neurosurgery are well-established. However, its applications in behavioural medicine have not yet received adequate attention. This article therefore aims to provide a perspective on the homunculus and speculate some neuropsychiatric applications. Methods: We used Google Scholar, PubMed and ResearchGate to search scholarly publications with the keywords as backdrops. We did not systematically review extant publications rather, we adopted historical, scanning, and snowball strategies in our search. Results: The authors view the homunculus as the central repository for all bodily memories. It regulates and controls every bodily part, including the internal physiology. This theoretical viewpoint holds that the phantom phenomenon is due to retained memory in the homunculus, and hemineglect is due to lost/deactivated memory from the homunculus. Treatment of these disorders may benefit from modifying specific synaptic ensembles by deactivating, reactivating or erasing memory traces to restore normal behaviours. Conclusions: The cortical homunculus is the repository for all bodily memories. It exercises top-down control over all other systems. Many intractable behavioural phenomena are linked to cortical homunculus.