Cerebral Cortex and Cortical Areas Flashcards
Name the Cerebral Lobes and Subcortical Structures
- Frontal lobe
- Temporal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Cerebellum
- Brain stem
- Spinal cord
- Mid brain
Sulcus - Definition
A fissure (depression) in the surface of the brain.
Gyrus - Definition
a ridge on the cerebral cortex.
Frontal Lobe - Delimitation, Sulci (4)
Delimitation: in front of central sulcus, where precentral gyrus lies.
Sulci:
- Superior frontal sulcus
- Inferior frontal sulcus
- Precentral sulcus
- Central sulcus
Frontal Lobe - Gyri (5)
- Middle frontal gyrus
- Precentral gyrus
- Pars orbitalis
- Pars triangularis
- Pars opercularis
Parietal Lobe - Delimitation and Division
Behind central sulcus, above lateral fissure, ending on parieto-occipital fissure. Divided into superior and inferior parietal lobules by intraparietal sulcus.
Parietal Lobe - Sulci (4) and Gyri (2)
Sulci:
- Postcentral sulcus
- Intraparietal sulcus
- Parietooccipital fissure
- Lateral cerebral fissure (sylvanian fissure)
Gyri:
- Postcentral gyrus
- Precuneus
Temporal Lobe - Delimitation, Sulci (2) and Gyri (3/4)
Delimitation: beneath the lateral fissure, divided in 3 principal gyri that run parallel to this fissure.
Sulci:
- Superior temporal sulcus
- Inferior temporal sulcus
Gyri:
- Superior temporal gyrus
- Middle temporal gyrus
- Inferior temporal gyrus
Auditory gyri under the temporal lobe.
Occipital Lobe - Delimitations and Sulci (4)
Delimitations: marked by parieto-occipital sulcus on the medial surface.
Sulci:
- Parieto-occipital sulcus (dividing both lobes)
- Superior occipital sulcus (extension of intraparietal sulcus)
- Collateral sulcus (extension of inferior temporal sulcus)
- Calcarine sulcus
Occipital Lobe - Gyri (4)
- Superior occipital gyrus
- Inferior occipital gyrus
- Middle occipital gyrus
- Cuneus
Insular Lobe - Delimitation, Sulci (1) and Gyri (2)
Delimitation: Deep underneath sylvanian fissure, under frontal, parietal and temporal lobules.
Sulci:
- Short insular sulcus.
Gyri:
- Anterior insular lobule
- Posterior insular lobule
Insular Lobe - Function
Sensory processing, neural substrate for addictive urges, implicating a role in behavioral modulation, mediating compulsion.
Laterality - Dominant Hemisphere
Left hemisphere if you are right handed, right hemisphere if you are left handed.
Most developed M1 (connection complexity).
Usually contains the communication centers.
Higher activation in processes involving planning and strategy.
Laterality - Non-dominant Hemisphere
Most complex connections between temporal pole and parietal lobe.
Higher activation in processes involving perception and abstraction.
Homunculus Cerebri
Describes a representation of the body in the primary motor (M1) and somatosensory cortex (S1). A map along the cerebral cortex of where each part of the body is processed.
Primary Cortical Areas (5)- Function and Areas
Assemble inputs from sensory systems or are responsible for executing a motor plan. Receive input, send output, no info processing.
- Primary motor cortex (M1)
- Primary somatosensory cortex (S1)
- Primary visual cortex (V1)
- Primary auditory cortex (A1)
- Primary olfactory cortex/Entorhinal cortex (O1)
Primary Motor Cortex (M1) - Function and Location
Located on the precentral gyrus.
Responsible for executing the motor plan after regulation and influences the direction of movement on the dominant side.
Primary Somatosensory Cortex (S1) - Location and Function
Located on the postcentral gyrus.
Receives and integrates sensory information related to touch and the sensing of body position and movement. Proprioception, temperature.
Primary Visual Cortex (V1) - Function and Location
Located in the occipital lobe.
Responsible for the integration and perception of visual information.
Primary Auditory Cortex (A1) - Location and Function
Located in superior temporal gyri.
Responsible for the reception of auditory information.
Primary Olfactory Cortex/Entorhinal Cortex (O1) - Location and Function
Located in the temporal lobe.
Responsible for our sense of smell.
Secondary Cortical Areas (6) - Function and Areas
Responsible for combining inputs from the primary areas, in order to create a context of internal and external processes and maintain memory of motor processes (long and short term procedural memory).
- Supplementary motor cortex (SMA/spMC)
- Premotor cortex (PMC)
- Association cortex (AC)
- Secondary visual cortex (V2)
- Broca area (B)
- Wernicke area (W)
Supplementary Motor Cortex (SMA) - Function and Location
Located in the posterior one third of the superior frontal gyrus. Spatial navigation and usually related to shortly learned movements - short term memory, movement strategy.
Premotor Cortex (PMC) - Location and Function
Located anterior to M1. Long term procedural memory, movement strategy.
Association Cortex (AC) - Location and Function
Close to the intraparietal sulcus and is involved in spatial orientation.
Broca Area (B) - Location and Function
Located in the inferior frontal gyrus. Known as motor speech area, utilized in speech production. This area regulates breathing patterns while speaking and vocalizations required for normal speech.
Wernicke Area (W) - Location and Function
Close to the auditory cortex, and located in the superior temporal gyrus. It is associated with language comprehension, receiving information from the sensory association areas. Dominant hemisphere only.
Tertiary Cortical Areas - Function and Areas
Responsible for interpreting internal and external contexts, reasoning processes, decision making and declarative memory processes.
- Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
- Tertiary Visual Cortex (V3)
- Temporal Pole (TP)
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC)- Function
Involved in the development of motor strategies (dominant) and behavioral strategies (non-dominant).
Frontal Pole Cortex (FPC/FP) - Function
Involved in intrinsic cognitive processes.
Ventrolateral/Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vl/vmPFC) - Function
Ventrolateral: Involved in adaptive behavior.
Ventromedial: Involved in social behavior.
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex (dmPFC) - Function
Involved in working memory and its relation to emotional modulation.
Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) - Function
Involved in associative learning (stimulus-stimulus learning association), mainly taste and smell with visual representation from the temporal pole.
Temporal Pole - Dorsal Network
Process input relating to SMA and A1. Related to verbal communication semantics.
Temporal Pole - Ventromedial Network
Connected to higher level visual areas, hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, related to visual association/perception.
Temporal Pole - Medial Network
Connected to paralimbic structures and the olfactory tubercle in O1, related to olfactory association.
Temporal Pole - Anterolateral Network
Temporal insular cortex and amygdala/hippocampus, related to default semantic.
Speech and Understanding
Broca area, Wernicke area and arcuate fasciculus (tract) are responsible.
Broca: speech production, including syntax, coherence, word selection…
Wernicke: Language comprehension.
Corpus Callosum
Bundle of axons (white matter) that connects right and left hemisphere. Involved in all disconnective disorders
