Parietal Lobe

Question 1

Define: somatosensory cortex

Answer 1

Receives and processes information from the skin and body which enables us to perceive bodily sensations

Question 2

What specific SENSORY INFORMATION does the somatosensory cortex receive and process?

Answer 2

Touch
Pressure and temperature (from skin’s sensory receptors)
Pain
Info about muscle movement and limb position (from sensory receptors in muscles, tendons and joints)

Question 3

Describe the somatosensory homunculus

Answer 3

genitals -> foot -> leg> neck -> head -> arm -> hand eye -> lips -> tongue -> pharynx

Question 4

What is the amount of space devoted to the somatosensory cortex dependent on?

Answer 4

The body part’s sensitivity and amount of movement

Question 5

Is sensory info received contralaterally?

Answer 5

Yeah

Question 6

What does damage to the somatosensory cortex cause?

Answer 6

Inability to process some sensations (depending on location) from the contralateral side (ie. numbness!)

Question 7

What is the right parietal lobe PRIMARILY involved in (and mainly involved in)?

Answer 7

MAINLY SPATIAL AWARENESS, SO…
Perceiving our body’s position in space
Perceiving an object’s location in the immediate environment
Perceiving 3d shapes

Question 8

How does the (primarily) right parietal lobe enable us to perceive our body’s position in space/position of objects in the immediate environment?

Answer 8

Integrates information about limb position and movement with info from primary visual and auditory cortices.

Question 9

What is the left parietal lobe involved in?

Answer 9

Reading, writing and mental arithmetic .

Question 10

What does damage to the left parietal lobe result in?

Answer 10

Inability to mentally perform long multiplication (can’t visualise equation)

Question 11

What does damage to the right parietal lobe result in?

Answer 11

Spatial neglect

Question 12

What body parts take up the most space of the parietal lobe?

Answer 12

Lips, fingers and tongue.