T1 L22 Association cortices & complex brain functions Flashcards
What is the evidence that the brain does more than just processing sensory information or putting together motor functions?
Interpretation of sensory information Association of perception with previous experience Focusing of attention Conscious thought Goal-directed action
What is the hierarchical organisation of sensory systems?
Receptors e.g. retinal cells Thalamic relay nuclei Primary sensory cortex Secondary sensory cortex Association cortex
Describe a unimodal association area
Single modality
Information for movement, colour & shape are analysed separately
Describe a multimodal association area
More than 1 modality
Where do multimodal sensory association areas project to?
Multimodal motor association areas
Rostral to M1
What is the primary sensory area for?
Initial stage of processing
What is the primary motor area for?
Final stage of cortical processing of motor commands
What is M1 for?
Final stage for cortical processing of motor commands
What are the 3 main multimodal association areas?
1) Posterior association area
2) Temporal association area
3) Prefrontal association area
What is the posterior association area for?
Perception, language
What is the temporal association area for?
Emotion
Memory
What is the prefrontal association area for?
Executive functions
Where does the evidence for the 3 multimodal association areas come from?
Observing humans with selective injuries to the cortex resulting from trauma, tumour, stroke or surgery for underlying neurological disorder
Experimental studies with monkeys
Imaging techniques for localising brain function during cognitive tasks
What is prosopagnosia?
The inability to recognise faces of familiar people
What is visual agnosia?
Condition in which a person can see but can’t recognise or interpret visual information due to disorder in parietal lobe
