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# Motor planning areas: premotor, supplementary and specialised fields

- Concept
- For completeness

In front of the primary motor strip, other areas plan movements, sequence them and aim the eyes and head.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

Also called: Premotor cortex, Supplementary motor area, Frontal eye field

**See it in 3D:** [Motor cortex](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/precentral-gyrus/) · [Frontal lobe](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superior-frontal-gyrus/) · [Broca's area](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/opercular-part-of-inferior-frontal-gyrus/)

## Key points

- Premotor area (lateral area 6): learned, sensory-guided movement patterns; works through primary motor cortex and basal ganglia.
- Supplementary motor area (medial area 6): self-initiated sequences, bimanual and postural actions; lesions cause reduced spontaneous movement and speech.
- Frontal eye field (area 8): voluntary saccades to the opposite side; a destructive lesion turns the eyes toward the lesion, a seizure turns them away.
- Broca area (dominant inferior frontal gyrus) plans the motor pattern of speech; damage gives non-fluent aphasia.
- Each cortical column sends a dynamic signal (burst at movement onset) and a static signal (sustained firing to hold force).

## What it is

The primary motor cortex executes; the areas in front of it plan. The premotor area builds learned and sensory-guided movement patterns, the supplementary motor area organizes internally generated sequences and two-handed actions, and specialised fields control speech, voluntary gaze, head turning and skilled hand use. Motor cortex output is organized in columns and constantly corrected by sensory feedback.

## Key facts

- Primary motor cortex neurons are arranged in vertical columns; a column controls a functional group of muscles rather than one muscle.
- Spindle, tendon and skin receptors feed back to motor cortex; if a movement is resisted, cortical output rises to complete it (a transcortical loop).
- Mirror neurons in premotor cortex fire both when an action is performed and when it is watched, which may help learning by imitation.

## Motor planning fields

| Area | Role | Lesion sign |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premotor | Learned and visually guided patterns | Difficulty with complex learned movements (apraxia) |
| Supplementary motor | Self-started sequences, both hands together | Reduced initiation, transient mutism, alien hand |
| Frontal eye field | Voluntary gaze to opposite side | Eyes deviate toward the lesion |
| Head rotation area | Turns head with the eyes | Poor voluntary head turning |
| Hand skill area | Fine skilled hand movement | Motor apraxia of the hand |
| Broca | Motor planning of speech | Non-fluent (expressive) aphasia |

## Clinical notes

- In a large frontal stroke the eyes look toward the side of the lesion and away from the paralyzed limbs.
- Ideomotor apraxia: the patient cannot pantomime a familiar action on command, although strength and understanding are preserved.

## Memory aid

Eyes look at a stroke and away from a seizure.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## After a right frontal stroke, which way do the eyes deviate, and why?

To the right: the intact left frontal eye field pushes gaze to the right without opposition.

## Which area is especially active when a person performs a self-initiated movement sequence from memory?

The supplementary motor area on the medial frontal surface.

## What are the dynamic and static signals of motor cortex output?

A burst of firing at movement onset that starts contraction quickly, followed by a lower sustained rate that holds the force.

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## Connections

## See it in 3D 3

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it happens.

- [Motor cortex](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/precentral-gyrus/)
- [Frontal lobe](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superior-frontal-gyrus/)
- [Broca's area](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/opercular-part-of-inferior-frontal-gyrus/)

## Related topics 5

- [Motor cortex and the corticospinal tract](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/motor-cortex-and-the-corticospinal-tract/)
- [The cerebral cortex and language](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-cerebral-cortex-and-language/)
- [Basal ganglia and movement control](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/basal-ganglia-and-movement-control/)
- [The visual pathway, pupillary reflexes and eye movements](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-visual-pathway-pupillary-reflexes-and-eye-movements/)
- [Somatosensory pathways: dorsal column and anterolateral](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/somatosensory-pathways-dorsal-column-and-anterolateral/)

## Related conditions 1

- [Ischaemic stroke](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/ischaemic-stroke/)

[← All of physiology](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/)

Educational physiology content; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. Values are approximate references. No doses are given.

Sources: [Neuroanatomy, Precentral Gyrus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544218/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2025); [Neuroanatomy, Frontal Cortex](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554483/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2025); [Neuroanatomy, Broca Area](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526096/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2025).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/physiology/motor-planning-areas-premotor-supplementary-and-specialised-fields/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/physiology/motor-planning-areas-premotor-supplementary-and-specialised-fields/