Cerebral cortex lecture Flashcards
what is the cortex and what does it contain?
thin 2-3mm covering of the brain, containing grey matter
which lobe is responsible for: regulating and initiating motor function, language, cognitive functions, attention, memory and behaviour?
frontal lobe
which lobe is responsible for visual input?
occipital lobe
which lobe is involved with touch and pain (sensation), sensory aspects of language, and spatial orientation and self-perception?
parietal lobe
which lobe is involved with processing auditory information, emotions and memories?
temporal lobe
which lobe is concerned with learning, memory, emotion, motivation and reward?
limbic lobe
the limbic lobe contains which structures?
amygdala, hippocampus, mamillary body, cingulate gyrus
what structure is located deep within the lateral fissure?
insular cortex
what area is associated with visceral sensations, autonomic control, interoception, auditory processing, and visual-vestibular integration
insular cortex
what does the grey matter consist of?
neuronal cell bodies and glial cells
what does the white matter consist of?
myelinated neuronal axons arranged in tracts
what do white matter tracts do?
connect cortical areas
what do association fibres do?
connect areas within the same hemisphere
what do commissural fibres do?
connect homologous structures in left and right hemispheres
what do projection fibres do?
connect cortex with lower brain structures
which lobes do each of these association fibres connect? 1. superior longitudinal fasciculus 2. arcuate fasciculus 3. inferior longitudinal fasciculus 4. uncinate fasciculus
- frontal and occipital lobes 2. frontal and temporal lobes 3. temporal and occipital lobes 4. anterior frontal and temporal lobes
corpus callosum and anterior commissure are examples of which types of fibres?
commissural fibres
projection fibres of each type listed below go to/from the cortex? 1. afferent 2. efferent
- to 2. from
which type of cortices has: predictable function, topicographical organisation and symmetry between left and right?
primary cortices
which type of cortices has: less predictable function, not organised topographically, left-right symmetry weak or absent
association cortices
which cortex controls fine, discrete and precise voluntary movements, and provides descending signals to execute movements?
primary motor cortex
which area is involved in planning movements that are externally cued?
supplementary area

which area is involved in planning complex movements that are internally cued?
premotor area
which area processes somatic sensations arising from receptors in the body eg. fine touch, vibration, two-point discrimination, proprioception, pain and temperature?
primary somatosensory cortex
which area interprets the significance of sensory information, eg. recognising an object placed in the hand, awareness of self and awareness of personal space
somatosensory association cortex
which area processes visual stimuli?
primary visual cortex
which area gives meaning and interpretation of visual input?
visual association cortex
which area processes auditory stimuli?
primary auditory area
which area gives meaning and interpretation of auditory input?
auditory association area
which area is involved in attention, adjusting social behaviour, planning, personality expression and decision making?
prefrontal cortex

which area is involved in production of language?
broca’s area

which area is involved in understanding of language?
Wernicke’s area
lesions in which lobe lead to changes in personality and inappropriate behaviour?
frontal lobe
lesions in which lobe lead to contralateral neglect/ lack of awareness?
parietal lobe
lesions in which lobe lead to agnosia, the inability to recognise and inability to form new memories?
temporal lobe
lesions in which area leads to poor production of speech, with intact comprehension?
broca’s area
lesions in which area leads to poor comprehension of speech, with intact production of speech?
wernicke’s area
which association fibres connect broca’s and wernicke’s areas?
arcuate fasciculus
lesions in which area leads to blindness in corresponding part of visual field?
primary visual cortex
lesions in which area leads to deficits in interpretation of visual information eg. inability to recognise familiar faces or learn new faces
visual association cortex
PET scans work by injecting radioactive labelled glucose into the blood, so how does activity show up in the scan?
areas consuming glucose the most light up
fMRI works by?
looking at amount of oxygen being carried to a region of brain, linked with increased activity in that specific brain region
how detailed a picture you can get is known as what type of resolution?
spatial
how quickly you can see if something is happening is known as what type of resolution?
temporal resolution
what test measures electrical signals produced by the brain?
electroencephalography
what test measures magnetic signals produced by the brain?
magnetoencephalography
which type of encephalography looks at a series of waves that reflect sequential activation of neural structures along the somatosensory pathways?
somatosensory evoked potentials
what are the methods of brain stimulation to assess cortical function?
TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)
what is diffusion tensor imaging used for
assessing the structure of the brain