Module 5: Cerebral Cortex

Question 1

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 1

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

Question 2

Frontal Lobes

Answer 2

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

Question 3

Parietal Lobes

Answer 3

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Question 4

Occipital Lobes

Answer 4

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

Question 5

Temporal Lobes

Answer 5

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.

Question 6

Motor Cortex

Answer 6

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Question 7

Somatosensory cortex

Answer 7

an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

Question 8

Association Areas

Answer 8

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Question 9

Plasticity

Answer 9

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Question 10

Neurogenesis

Answer 10

the formation of new neurons.

Question 11

Corpus Callosum

Answer 11

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Question 12

Split Brain

Answer 12

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them.