8 - Cerebral cortex + higher cortical function Flashcards
Which cortical levels contain pyramidal cells?
Levels II, III, V, VI
What are some symptoms of a frontal lobe lesion?
- Inappropriate behaviour
- Loss of empathy and inability to infer the mental state of others
- Apathy
- ^/decrease in sexuality
- Struggle to express emotions
Damage to the L parietal lobe results in what symptoms?
- R-L confusion
- Agraphia
- Acalculia
- Aphasia
- Agnosia
Damage to the R parietal lobe results in what symptoms?
- Contralateral neglect
- Constructional apraxia
Damage to both parietal lobes results in what symptoms?
- R-L confusion
- Agraphia
- Acalculia
- Aphasia
- Agnosia
- Contralateral neglect
- Constructional apraxia
- Ocular apraxia
- Simultanagnosia
- Optic ataxia
- May have contralateral inferior homonymous quadrantonopia
Damage to the temporal lobes results in what symptoms?
- Altered auditory sensation and perception
- Altered visual perception
- Impaired organisation of verbal material
- Loss of language comprehension
- Impaired long-term memory
- Altered personality and sexual behaviour
- May have contralateral superior homonymous quadrantonopia
Which hemisphere is dominant in 95% of people?
L hemisphere
What are the main roles of the L hemisphere?
- Language
- Mathematics
- Logic
What are the main roles of the R hemisphere?
- Body image
- Visuospatial awareness
- Emotion
- Music
What is the corpus callosum?
Bundle of white matter connecting the 2 hemispheres
What is the name of the matter which connects the 2 hemispheres?
Corpus callosum
Language pathways are usually dominant in which hemisphere?
L hemisphere
What is the blood supply to Broca’s area?
MCA superior divisions
Describe the location of Broca’s area:
Inferior lateral frontal lobe
What is the role of Broca’s area?
Production of speech
Which of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas sit next to the motor cortex and why is this important?
Broca’s area
- Responsible for the production of speech
- Next to the motor cortex so can influence the facial muscles responsible for speech
Describe the location of Wernicke’s area:
Superior lateral temporal lobe
What is the blood supply to Wernicke’s area?
MCA inferior divisions
What is the role of Wernicke’s area?
Interpretation of language
What is the name of the matter connecting Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?
Arcuate fasciculus
What is the pathway to repeat a heard word?
- Signal from auditory cortex
- Signal converted to words at Wernicke’s area
- Conveyed to Broca’s area via the arcuate fasciculus
- Sent to motor cortex to move facial muscles responsible for speech
What is the pathway to speak a written word?
- Signal from visual cortex
- Signal converted to words at Wernicke’s area
- Conveyed to Broca’s area via the arcuate fasciculus
- Sent to motor cortex to move facial muscles responsible for speech
What is the pathway to speak a thought?
- Signal from cortex
- Signal converted to words at Wernicke’s area
- Conveyed to Broca’s area via the arcuate fasciculus
- Sent to motor cortex to move facial muscles responsible for speech
Receptive aphasia is a problem with which language area?
Wernicke’s area
If someone has an impaired ability to grasp the meaning of spoken words, what kind of aphasia would you say this is?
Receptive aphasia (Wernicke’s aphasia)
With which type of aphasia is speech often fluent but incomprehensible?
Receptive aphasia (Wernicke’s aphasia)
Expressive aphasia is a problem with which language area?
Broca’s area
If someone has an impaired ability to speak in grammatical sentences, what kind of aphasia would you say this is?
Expressive aphasia (Broca’s aphasia)
With which type of aphasia is comprehension preserved but inability to speak fluently?
Expressive aphasia (Broca’s aphasia)
What are the 2 types of memory?
- Declarative
- Indeclarative
Where do declarative memories tend to be stored?
Cerebral cortex
What is a declarative memory?
- Explicit facts and events
- Memories consciously recalled
- Rapidly learnt, rapidly forgotten
Which type of memories are rapidly learnt and rapidly forgotten, and where do they tend to be stored?
Declarative memories
- Cerebral cortex
What type of memories are explicit facts and events that are consciously recalled?
Declarative
Where do in indeclarative memories tend to be stored?
Cerebellum
What is an indeclarative memory?
- Implicit memory of skills and how to do things
- Memories unconsciously recalled
- Usually acquired by repetition and practice
- Difficult to form, long-lasting
Which type of memories are hard to form but long-lasting?
Indeclarative memories
What type of memories are implicit memories of skills and how to do things, and where do they tend to be stored?
Indeclarative memories
Cerebellum
Which structure of the limbic system is essential for the consolidation of declarative memory?
Hippocampus
Why is the hippocampus essential for the consolidation of declarative memory?
Consolidation of memories requires association of the memories with other things:
- The hippocampus is associated with the visual, auditory, somatosensory and limbic system, so can form associations with different inputs
- It also acts as an oscillator, relaying the information to the brain over and over again, to form strong synapses
Removal of which brain structure removes the capacity to consolidate new memories?
Hippocampus
What is anterograde amnesia?
- Inability to form new memories
- Often due to damaged temporal lobes (and underlying hippocampus)
What is retrograde amnesia?
- Inability to recall events prior to an event
What are some common causes of retrograde amnesia?
- Car accident
- Alzheimer’s disease
Which type of amnesia results in the inability to form new memories?
Anterograde amnesia
Which type of amnesia results in the inability to recall previous memories?
Retrograde amnesia
