A general term referring to those parts of the cortex that get the most direct input from the retina (eye), cochlea (ear) or skin surface. For many years, it was held that the primary sensory cortices were not functional multimodal. More recent studies in both humans and animals has revealed that while isolated stimuli can elicit clear-cut neuronal responses in one modality, but also in other primary sensory cortices.
See Cochlea, Entorhinal cortex, Inferior parietal lobe (IPL), Primary motor cortex, Primary visual cortex, Retina, Somatosensory cortex