Cerebral Cortex Flashcards

1
Q

What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?

A

the qualities that distinguish humans from other animals

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2
Q

How does the cerebral cortex fit within the volume of the brain?

A

it has many folds i.e. gyri and sulci

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3
Q

What is the primary excitatory cell type of the cerebral cortex?

A

pyramidal neurons

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4
Q

What is the neurotransmitter of pyramidal neurons?

A

glutamate

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5
Q

Where do small and medium pyramidal cells project to?

A

areas of the ipsilateral cortex

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6
Q

Where do large and giant pyramidal cells project to?

A

ipsilateral and contralateral cortex subcortical areas, brainstem and spinal cord

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7
Q

What is the neurotransmitter for non-pyramidal neurons?

A

GABA

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8
Q

What does layer III of the cerebral cortex contain?

A

medium pyramidal cells whose axons project to the ipsilateral cortex

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9
Q

What is layer IV of the cerebral cortex?

A

the major input layer that receives input from the thalamus

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10
Q

What is layer V of the cerebral cortex?

A

the major output layer that contains medium, large and giant pyramidal cells

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11
Q

What does each vertical column contain?

A

about 200 neurons that form functional units

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12
Q

How many Brodmann areas are there?

A

52

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13
Q

What do short association fibres do?

A

connect adjacent gyri within one hemisphere

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14
Q

What do long association fibres do?

A

connect different cortical regions within one hemisphere e.g. arcuate fasciculus

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15
Q

What does the corpus callosum do?

A

connect homologous regions of the two hemispheres

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16
Q

What do projection fibres do?

A

connect the cerebral cortex with the subcortical brainstem and spinal cord regions

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17
Q

What are corticopetal fibres?

A

input fibres that run towards the cerebral cortex

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18
Q

What are corticofugal fibres?

A

output fibres that exit the cerebral cortex

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19
Q

When may aminergic axons be altered?

A

in psychiatric disorders

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20
Q

Where is the primary visual cortex (area 17)?

A

on both sides of the calcarine sulcus, on the medial aspect of the occipital lobe

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21
Q

Where does the primary visual cortex receive visual information from?

A

the contralateral visual field

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22
Q

What does stimulation of the primary visual cortex cause?

A

crude sensations of bright flashes of light

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23
Q

What would damage to the primary visual cortex result in?

A

loss of vision in the contralateral visual field

24
Q

What are the occipital visual areas (18 and 19) responsible for?

A

the “what” stream of visual processing

25
Q

What do the occipital visual areas do?

A

interpret the visual impulses that reach the primary visual cortex (area 17)

26
Q

What is agnosia?

A

the inability to recognise things even though one sees them

27
Q

What does stimulation of the occipital visual areas cause?

A

hallucination of formed images

28
Q

What does damage to the occipital visual areas cause?

A

visual agnosia

29
Q

Where is the primary auditory cortex?

A

on the superior part of the temporal lobe, in areas 41 and 42 called Heschl’s gyri

30
Q

What is the function of the primary auditory cortex?

A

hearing

31
Q

What does stimulation of the primary auditory cortex cause?

A

tinnitus

32
Q

What does damage to the primary auditory cortex cause?

A

slight hearing loss

33
Q

Where is the auditory association area (Wernicke’s speech area)?

A

beind the primary auditory cortex in the dominant hemisphere (left superior temporal lobe) area 22

34
Q

What happens if the auditory association (Wernicke’s) area is damaged?

A

word deafness or auditory aphasia i.e. the patient can hear what is being said without knowing what it means

35
Q

Where is the primary somatosensory cortex?

A

on the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe (areas 1, 2 and 3)

36
Q

What does the superior parietal lobe (areas 5 and 7) have reciprocal connexions with?

A

the primary somatosensory cortex and the dorsal tier of lateral thalamic nuclei

37
Q

What is the superior parietal lobe concerned with?

A

discriminative aspects of sensation, such as the qualities of shape, roughness, size and texture and also in remembering the positions of objects in space

38
Q

What could a lesion in the superior parietal lobe cause?

A
  • inability to identify familiar objects manually (tactile agnosia)
  • unawareness of the side of the body opposite to the lesion
39
Q

What does damage to the inferior parietal lobe (areas 39 and 40) cause?

A

word-blindness (alexia) and inability to copy (agraphia)

40
Q

What is sensory aphasia?

A

the inability to understand written and spoken language

41
Q

Where is the primary motor cortex and what is it responsible for?

A

in the pre central gyrus (area 4) of the frontal lobe concerned with initiating voluntary movements

42
Q

What does stimulation of the primary motor cortex cause?

A

discrete and isolated movement limited to a single joint or muscle

43
Q

What does damage of the primary motor cortex lead to?

A
  • upper motor neuron lesion
  • contralateral side of the body being affected
  • initial hypotonia, hyporeflexia or flaccid paralysis followed by chronic hyperreflexia and spasticity
  • Babinski sign (extension of the big toe)
44
Q

What is the premotor area?

A

area 6 associated with area 4 to help with voluntary movements

45
Q

Where is Broca’s area (area 44 and 45)?

A

on the inferior frontal gyrus in the triangular and opercula regions

46
Q

What can damage to Broca’s area cause?

A

the individual being unable to talk, even though the vocal muscles are not paralysed; the patient knows what they want to say but all that comes out is garbled sound, or one word repeated over and over again

47
Q

What is the frontal eyefield (area 8) concerned with?

A

the voluntary conjugate movements of both eyes

48
Q

What does stimulation of the frontal eyefield cause?

A

deviation of both eyes to the contralateral side

49
Q

What does damage of the frontal eyefield cause?

A

deviation of both eyes to the ipsilateral side

50
Q

What are functions of the prefrontal cortex?

A
  • motor planning
  • planning for the future
  • language production
  • holding memory
51
Q

What can damage to the prefrontal cortex lead to?

A
  • changes in mood, behaviour and personality
  • individual neglecting their appearance, laughs or cries inappropriately and demonstrates no appreciation of social norms
52
Q

What is the dominant hemisphere dominant for?

A

language

53
Q

What is the non-dominant hemisphere responsible for?

A

the appreciation of spatial dimensions, totality of a scene (including recognition of faces) and nonverbal symbolism

54
Q

What does the right temporal lobe do?

A

store tone memories

55
Q

What can damage to the parietal lobe lead to?

A

hemi-neglect syndrome; reduced awareness of stimuli on one side of space, even though there may be no sensory loss