Primary sensory and Unimodal Association Cortex Flashcards
What does unimodal mean
They respond to only one sensory system
What is the cerebral cortex responsible for (4)
- Perception (conscious understanding of sensations)
- Integration of information from different sensory modalities
- Emotion, self, personality, intellect
- Consciousness
What is the cerebral cortex involved in (3)
- Simple sensory processing
- Higher cognitive and advanced intellectual functions
- Planning and executing complex, voluntary motor activities
True or False:
The cortex can be divided into anterior and posterior regions
True
What is the anterior region of the cortex used for
Expressiveness
What is the posterior region of the cortex used for
Receptiveness
True or False:
The insula is where you feel pain when watching something painful
True
True or False:
The cerebral cortex is the site of the highest order integration of sensory, motor, and consciousness activities
True
What does the gray matter of the cortex consist of
Cell bodies of neurons that are aranged in layers
What are the 2 types of regions in the cortex
- Primary cortices
2. Association cortices
What are the primary cortices used for
Directly receive sensory input or directly involved in production of eye movements
What are the association cortices used for
Important for more complex xortical functions
True or False:
The majority of the cerebral cortex is association cortex
True
What does glia mean
Glue
True or False:
The neocortex is a feature of mammalian brains
True
What does the neocortex cover
The cerebral hemispheres
True or False:
The neocortex consists of gray matter and unmyelinated fibers
True
What are the 2 neuron types in the neocortex and the percent
- Pyramidal neurons (80%)
2. Inhibitory interneurons (20%)
True or False:
Pyramidal neurons are largely excitatory but some are inhibitory
True
What is the most abundant cell type in the neocortex
Astrocytes
True or False:
Astrocytes are glial cells
True
How many layers are in the neocortex
6
True or false:
The neocortex is arranged in functional columns
True
True or False:
The structure of the neocortex is relatively uniform
True
True or False:
There is some repeated circuitry throughout the neocortex but there are exceptions
True
What is the exception to the neocortex having repeated circuitry
Primary motor cortex has no layer IV
What is layer IV
Thalamic input
True or False:
The primary motor cortex does have layer IV but it is extremely thin
True
Different areas of the neocortex vary as to (4)
- Overall thickness
- Thickness of the individual layers
- Differences in cell size
- Differences in cell density
What are 3 important points about the functions of the cerebral cortex
- Each cerebral hemisphere is concerned with the somatosensory and motor functions of the opposite side of the body
- A few instructions are predominantly (though not exclusively) served by one cerebral hemisphere this phenomenon is described as laterality
- The assignment of a specific function to a specific region of the cortex is imprecise
True or False:
The language centers are predominantly in the left hemisphere but we do use the right hemisphere for language processing
True
Who came up with the concept that different parts of the brain did different things started with whom (phrenology)
Spurzheim and Gall
What did the phrenologists say (2)
- A given area of the brain increases in size as does the overlying skull when its function is exercised
- A good clinician can by laying his or her hands of another’s head tell you what parts of the brain have been most exercised
Who were the first to people to come up with localization (2)
- Peirre Paul Broca
2. Karl Wernicke
What did Broca and Wernicke say about localization
Localized regions of the brain are specialized to perform specific cognitive functions
What are the principles of localization and lateralization (2)
- Brian functions arise from both networks as well as localized functions
- Most structures and sensorimotor functions are distributed symmetrically in the brain
True or False:
Focal brain lesions can cause specific deficits
True
What causes false localization to occur
Many brain functions are mediate by networks involving multiple brain areas
True or False:
There are also few but marked asymmetries in the brain
True
What is the left hemisphere of the brain typically dominant for (2)
- Skilled motor functions
2. Dominant for language production
What is the right hemisphere of the brain typically dominant for (1)
- Attentional mechanisms and spatial analysis
True or False:
There is only one pineal gland
True
What separates the primary motor and sensory cortex
The central sulcus
True or False:
The primary motor cortex consists of pyramidal cells that direct muscle contraction
True
True or False:
Neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex receive somatic sensory information including touch, pressure, pain, and temperature
True
Where is the auditory and olfactory cortex found
Temporal lobe
Where does the gustatory cortex lie
Anterior portion of the insula and adjacent parts of the frontal lobes
What are the association cortical areas important for
Integration of information
True or False:
The association cortical areas are divided into unimodal and mulitmodal reigons
True
What is unimodal
Relates to single primary region only
What is multimodal
Intergrates information relating to multiple primary and unimodal regions
True or False:
The association cortical areas function to associate individual bits of information for interpretation and coordination
True
What are the functions of the association cortical areas (8)
- Memory
- Language
- Abstraction
- Creativity
- Judgement
- Emotion
- Attention
- Synthesis of movement
Is most of the cortex unimodal or heteromodal
Heteromodal
True or False:
The insula is where you can feel your heart beat
True
True or False:
The insula is heteromodal for the majority of it
True
True or False:
The insula is one of the oldest portions of the cortex
True
What are the 3 essential characteristics of unimodal association cortex
- Neurons are almost exclusively responsive to stimulation of a single sensory modality
- The predominant cortical inputs are provided by the primary sensory cortex or by other unimodal regions in the same modality
- Damage leads to modality specific deficits confined to tasks guided by cues in that modality
What are the 3 essential characteristics of multimodal association cortex
- Neuronal responses are not confined to a single sensory modality
- Cortical inputs originate from unimodal areas in more than on modality and/or from other heteromodal areas
- Damage leads to deficits that transcend a single modality
True or False:
Heteromodal cortex intergrates information and commands from different association areas to perform higher order analytical functions
True
What does the premotor cortex do (4)
- Predict consequences of behavior
- Plan future behavior
- Perform tasks using working memory
- Language production
What does the posterior parietal cortex do (2)
- Language comprehension
2. Spatial awareness
How did we get unimodal and heteromodal association cortices
White matter of the cerebrum
What are the 3 types of white matter fibers
- Association fibers
- Commissural fibers
- Projection fibers
What are association fibers
Interconnect portions of the cerebral cortex with those in the same cerebral hemisphere
What are commissural fibers
Cross from one hemisphere to the other and permit communication between them
What are projection fibers
Connect the cerebral cortex with other parts of the CNS including diencephalon, brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord
What layer do the fibers that tie the cortex together come from
Layer III
True or False:
The heteromodal association cortex creates consciousness
True
True or False:
Parietal cortex is huge on integration of information
True
