Cerebral Cortex Flashcards
What are the different layers of the cerebral cortex?
- molecular layer
- external granular layer
- external pyramidal layer
- internal granular layer
- internal pyramidal layer
- multiform layer
What are the different neocortical regions of the brain?
primary sensory areas (receive info from thalamic sensory relay nuclei)
primary motor areas (areas that giv rise to much of the corticospinal tract)
association areas
limbic areas
What are some examples of intellectual disability that may be associated with poor spine development?
autism
fragile X syndrome
T/F: total cortical volume is not constant among different individuals, but there is large variation in Brodmann area sizes among individuals
False.
total cortical volume IS constant among different individuals but Brodman areas sizes ARE DIFFERENT among individuals
What are the functions of the parietal lobe?
primary somatosensory cortex: initial processing of tactile and proprioceptive information)
language comprehension (typically left lobule)
rest of cortex: complex aspects of spatial orientation and directing attention
What are the functions of the occipital lobe?
primary visual cortex
visual association cortex
Injury to what area of the cortex would result in color blindness?
inferior occipital lobe
Injury to what area of the cortex would result in motion blindness?
occipital-temporal junction
What are the functions of the temporal lobe?
primary auditory cortex (transverse temporal gyri)
auditory association cortex
Language comprehension (Wernike’s area)
Higher order visual processing
Where is the gustatory cortex located?
frontal lobe (operculum) insula
Where is the vestibular cortex located?
superior temporal gyrus
posterior insula
Where is the olfactory cortex located in the neocortex?
It is NOT located in the neocortex. It is a part of the paleocortex.
Consists of:
cortex near lateral olfactory tract
cortex covering amygdala, periamygdaloid cortex
small part of parahippocampal gyrus
What is the function of the frontal cortex?
heavily involved in motor control
Broca’s area: inferior frontal gyrus; production of spoken and written language
prefrontal cortex: rest of frontal lobe; executive functions: personality, foresight, insight
What are the different types of association cortex?
unimodal: near primary area
multimodal: high level intellectual functions
What is the planum temporale?
part of the superior temporal gyrus posterior to primary auditory cortex (transverse temporal gyri)
What side of the brain has a larger planum temporale?
left side
What does “aphasia” mean?
inability to use language, lose the use of, or access to symbols humans use as concepts (i.e. words)
Describe nonfluent aphasia.
make few written or spoken words, get by with phrases (“OK,” “And how”)
Very difficult to produce words
Can comprehend language
Damage in Broca’s area
Describe fluent aphasia.
Can write or speak words, but words that are used are incorrect
no linguistic content
make up new words
Difficulty in language comprehension
Damage to Wernicke’s area
What role does the right hemisphere play in the production of language?
prosody: musical aspect of speech
What is motor aprosody and what area of the cortex controls this?
can’t convey authority, anger, etc. in voice
right inferior frontal gyrus (near Broca’s area)
What is sensory aprosody? What area of the cortex controls this?
difficulty comprehending the emotional content of speech from others
right posterior temporoparietal region (near Wernicke’s area)
What do unimodal areas of the parietal cortex control?
visual association cortex
auditory association cortex
somatosensory
The inability to recognize faces or perceive movement are examples of what type of disorder?
sensory specific agnosias
in the examples given, visual agnosias
What do the multimodal areas of the parietal cortex control?
monitor relationships of body with outside world
centered on intraparietal sulcus
A patient denies something is wrong with his left limb and ignores the entire left side of his body. What might be going on here?
right parietal lobe damage
Another patient comes in and has difficulty taking in sensory information to plan a movement accurately. For example, you ask her to imitate the examiner who touches finger to face and she is unable. What may be going on here?
Left parietal lobe damage
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex?
controls executive functions
it is also interconnected with dorsomedial nucleus of thalamus
What distinct areas are in the prefrontal cortex? What does each area do?
Dorsolateral: interconnected w/ parietal association areas; important role in working memory, “keep in mind”
Injury: problems planning, solving problems, maintaining attention
Ventromedial: extends to orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate areas
Injury: makes people impulsive, can’t suppress inappropriate responses/emotions
What is alexia without agraphia?
Can’t read, but can write
Why might alexia without agraphia occur?
language areas on left isolated from all visual input
left visual cortex damaged by stroke
right visual cortex intact but corpus callosum damaged
speech is unaffected
What interconnects areas of one hemisphere?
association bundles
