Lecture 5 - The Cerebral Cortex and Our Divided Brain

Question 1

what is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 1

higher forms of thinking

two hemispheres of cerebral cortex - left and right
4 lobes on each hemispheres:
-occipital
-parietal
-frontal
-temporal

Question 2

frontal lobe

Answer 2

at front of brain and responsible for planning, creative thinking, personality
contains motor cortex

Question 3

motor cortex

Answer 3

voluntary movement

Question 4

homunculus

Answer 4

“little man” - map of motor cortex

Question 5

Broca’s area

Answer 5

speech production (left frontal lobes)

Question 6

Broca’s aphasia

Answer 6

disability when someone cannot say what they mean

Question 7

mirror neurons

Answer 7

fire when observing another person doing something

Question 8

what is the cerebral cortex made of?

Answer 8

the four lobes and association areas

Question 9

parietal lobe

Answer 9

at top of brain

contains somatosensory cortex - receives info about sensation

Question 10

occipital lobe

Answer 10

in back of the head

contains visual cortex - processes visual signals

Question 11

temporal lobes

Answer 11

on sides of head

contains auditory cortex - processes sound

Question 12

Wernicke’s area

Answer 12

language comprehension (left side in most people)

Question 13

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 13

impairments in understanding language

what they say, doesn’t make sense

Question 14

association areas

Answer 14

involved in executive functions

Question 15

plasiticity

Answer 15

flexibility of brain structures

• can shift functions from damaged to undamaged brain areas
• damage to brain can form new synapses, reorganize
• can physically change structure in response to learning

Question 16

neurogenesis

Answer 16

grow of new neurons

Question 17

what promotes neurogenesis? what prevents neurogenesis?

Answer 17

promotes: sleep
prevents: loneliness and isolation

Question 18

laterilization

Answer 18

hemispheric specialization