"Brain study reveals link between motion, emotion, and planning"

Previously overlooked areas of the brain's motor cortex appear to link control of specific muscles with information about the entire body and brain, challenging the conventional wisdom that the motor cortex solely controls movement. The interconnected system is involved in planning, goals, and emotion, and can directly influence blood pressure and heart rate. The new view of the primary motor cortex may help explain how the brain solves difficult problems and weaves together movement and mental states, which could explain why our posture changes with our mood or why exercise tends to make us feel better.