4.3 Cerebral Cortex

Question 1

Cerebral cortex is the ____ layer of the brain

Answer 1

outermost.

• it is a thin layer of cells which cover the outer surface of the cerebral hemispheres
• primarily made up of gray matter
• extensively folded: ridges = gyri (gyrus), grooves = sulci (sulcus)
• folding increases SA

Question 2

corpus callosum

Answer 2

wide band of nerve fibers

• connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres

Question 3

frontal lobe

Answer 3

• most forward of the 4 lobes
• decision-making

Question 4

parietal lobe

Answer 4

• right behind our frontal lobe
• better understand where our body is in time and space

Question 5

occipital lobe

Answer 5

• back of the brain

2 pathways
- with the temporal lobe: recognize people
- with the parietal lobe: process movement of objects

Question 6

temporal lobe

Answer 6

• several areas specialized for particular functions
• some higher visual system tasks e.g. recognition of people

Question 7

functions performed by different areas of the CC within the 4 lobes fall into 3 categories

Answer 7

• sensory
• motor
• association

Question 8

Primary visual cortex

Answer 8

• occipital lobe
• begins the process of interpreting input from the eyes

Question 9

Primary auditory cortex

Answer 9

• temporal lobe
• process incoming sounds

Question 10

Primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 10

• parietal lobe
• processes info abt touch, pain, body position, and skin temp

Question 11

Primary motor cortex

Answer 11

• rear most of frontal lobe
• highest level of voluntary control over movement

Question 12

Association cortex

Answer 12

areas of the cortex without specific sensory or motor functions

these areas are distributed thruout the cortex

Question 13

Prefrontal cortex

Answer 13

most forward portion of the frontal lobe
- planning of behaviour, attention, and judgment

Question 14

Mirror neurons

Answer 14

help us understand not only actions and emotions of others, but their intentions as well

Question 15

lateralization

Answer 15

a SPECIAL type of localization of function in CC

movement and sensation on the right side of the body are processed by the left hemisphere, and vice versa

the visual cortex of the left hemisphere processes data from the right half of the visual field

Question 16

Can the right and left hemispheres function independently?

Answer 16

YES

some brain functions are largely localized in one hemisphere => debunks the left/right hemisphere and personality myth

Question 17

What shows evidence of lateralization?

Answer 17

Language.

right handed people generally lateralize language to the left hemisphere (70% of left handed ppl as well)

Question 18

What happens after split-brain surgery?

Answer 18

corpus calloseum is severed. hemispheres no longer connected.

Implication: when one hemisphere learns something, it cannot “tell” the other one

Question 19

How do we test split-brain?

Answer 19

feed different visual info to each hemisphere (Gazzaniga, 1967)

Question 20

Gazzaniga 1967

Answer 20

Speech: localized in left brain. If the visual is shown to the right eye, they can identify it, but NOT if it is in the left hemisphere.

If 2 objects are shown, the one in the left eye can be identified by pointing to the object.