Somatosensory Part 2 Flashcards
How many cell layers are in the cerebral cortex?
6
What kind of cells are in layer 4 and where do they receive input from?
stellate cells in layer 4 receive input from the thalamus
What kind of cells are in layer 5 and what do they do?
pyramidal cells in layer 5 project information to other areas of the cortex
What are Brodmans areas?
areas of cortex that are histologically distinguishable and identified by numbers
What is fMRI? What does it detect?
functional magnetic resonance imaging, detects changes in spin of hydrogen ions in the brain. detect BOLD (blood oxygen level detection)
Where is the thalamus?
in the diencephalon, on each side of the third ventricle
What is thought to be the basis of consciousness?
thalamo-cortical connections
Where do the VPL/VPM project to?
primary somatosensory cortex
What thalamic nuclei project to the somatosensory cortex?
the VPL/VPM
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex?
postcentral gyrus
the VPL receives information from______ and sends it to _______
dorsal column-lemniscal and anterolateral pathways and sends it to the primary SS cortex
the VPM receives information from _____ and sends it to ______
receives info from the head via the trigeminal nerve, sends it to the primary SS cortex
What are cortical columns?
columns of neurons with similar sensory receptive properties (modalities, RFs, etc), usually 300-600microm wide, perpendicular to the cortical surface
what areas of the body are high in sensory neuron density and have large representations in the homunculus?
mouth and hand
what areas of the body are low in sensory neuron density and have small representations in the homunculus?
the back
what evolutionary trends are seen in the homunculus?
animals have large focus on the face, whereas human homunculi also have large representations in limbs/hands/etc
Are there single or multiple somatotopic representations of areas of the body ?
multiple
How does cortical activity respond to movements of single body parts?
cortical activity starts out in a local homuncular spot, then spreads out into neighboring columns
What structures help spread cortical activity to neighboring areas?
arcuate fibers
What does it mean that some connections are “latent”?
inputs from neighboring areas might project to the same columns but may not elicit activity, allowing learning/cortical plasticity to occur