Lecture 20: Brain Areas and Nervous Pathways

Question 1

What is the prefrontal gyrus responsible for?

Answer 1

Decision making, consequences of actions, emotion.

Question 2

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 2

The gray matter around the brain.

Question 3

What are deep nuclei?

Answer 3

Parts of gray matter deep in the brain.

Question 4

What are the 3 types of white matter and what do they do?

Answer 4

1. Commissural tracts: Axons go from side to side eg. corpus callosum.
2. Projection tracts: Axons extend between cortex and other CNS areas, eg. effectors.
3. Association tracts: Axons on same side of cerebral cortex. Communication between hemisphere areas.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the corticospinal tract?

Answer 5

It controls the activity of somatic (efferent) motor neurons. Axons descend to spinal cord, crossing to opposite side of body.

Question 6

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 6

Integration of multiple types of sensory information. Somatosensory. Association.

Question 7

Explain how the cerebellum coordinates movement guided by sensory feedback.
Use five steps.

Answer 7

① Motor cortex initiates movement.
② Copy of instructions sent to the cerebellum.
③ Some sensory info goes to the cerebellum (identical to the info about actual mvmnt)
④ Cerebellum compares this info with copy of motor output.
⑤ “Adjusts” motor output for COORDINATION.

Question 8

What is the function of the Basal Ganglia?

Answer 8

To select an appropriate movement for a given situation, initiate movement, and terminate movement. ‘Inhibition of inhibition’.