Unit 14: Cerebral Cortex online learning

Question 1

What makes up the forebrain?

Answer 1

The cortex - overlying the entire surface of the brain
And the underlying deep gray matter nuclei.

Question 2

What are the embryological divisions within the forebrain?

Answer 2

The telencephalon - becomes the cerebral hemispheres and deep structures
The diencephalon - becomes the thalamus, hypothalamus, subthalamus

Question 3

What are the different sulcus in the cerebral cortex?

Answer 3

Central sulcus - seperates frontal and pariteal
Lateral fissuer - separate temporal from frontal/parietal
Parieto-occipital sulcus -

Question 4

How does the limbic lobe relate to other lobes of the brain?

Answer 4

Is not a discretes lobe, spans portions of the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes.

Question 5

What is meant by a primary cortical area?

Answer 5

Recieve information from peripheral receptors e.g thalamus with little interpretation of the meaning of the information
Reciveve sensory information or execute motor tasks
For example: M1 and S1

Question 6

What are association areas in the brain?

Answer 6

Areas that recieve input from the priamry area and are involved in higher order processing, integration and interpretations
Are often adjacent to primary areas
Can be classified as unimodal or heteromodal
Sor examples - premotor association areas or auditory association area.

Question 7

What is the role of the supplementary motor area?

Answer 7

Contains motor maps for posture
Efferents innervate limbs and the truncal musculature
Links to internal movement clues (muscle memory) and internally guided movements (thinking about moving a cup)

Question 8

What is the role of the premotor association area?

Answer 8

Involved in higher order processing and integration of motor information
Links to external sensory clues and externally guided movements

Question 9

What region is within the green circle and what is its function?

Answer 9

Frontal eye fileds
Located in supplement motor area and extend anteriorly
Involved in eye movements

Question 10

What is the purple area and what is its function?

Answer 10

The motor-hand area
Hook shaped in precentral gryus posterior to frontal eye fields
responsible for motor hand function

Question 11

What is the light blue area and what is its function?

Answer 11

Somatosensory association area
Located posteriorly to S1 in the parietal lobe
Allows for interpretation of the significant of sensory information such as touch, pressure and proprioceptive information

Question 12

What is the purpose of the calcarine sulcus?

Answer 12

Located on the medial side of the occipital lobe and divides the visual cortex into tqo

Question 13

What area is highlighted in purple and what is its function?

Answer 13

The primary visual area
Fibres from the retina project to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, then travel as optic radiations to the primary visual cortex

Question 14

What does it mean that the priamry visual cortex is retinotopically organised?

Answer 14

Fibres from upper visual fileds -> inferior bank of calcarine sulcus (dark blue)
From lower visual fields - superior bank of calcarine sulcus (light blue)
Region of highest visual acuity to fovea is near the occipital pole (green)

Question 15

What surface is highlighted in red and what does it do?

Answer 15

Red area is the visual association area
Surrounds the primary visual cortex of the medial surface of the occipital lobe
Gives meaning and interpretation to visual information

Question 16

How does information travel from the ear to the primary auditory cortex?

Answer 16

Cochlea projects to the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus
Projects to the primary auditory area of the cortex
Each cochlear projects ipsillaterally and contralateral such that each ear is represented in a bilateral manner on the cortex.

Question 17

What is the dark pink area?
What is its function and location?

Answer 17

Is the primary auditory fissure made from the Heschles gyri deep within the lateral fissure and the cortex along the superior temporal gyrus
Recieves auditory input.

Question 18

Where is the auditory association area located and what is its function?

Answer 18

Located adjecent and lateral to the priamry auditory cortex on the superior temporal gyrus
Allows us to interpret sounds and give them meaning.

Question 19

Where is the insula cortex located and what is its function?

Answer 19

Wide range of functions including consciousness, emotion, self-awareness and cognitive function.

Is located deep within the lateral fissure of the brain - is not identifiable from the surface.

Question 20

Where is the priamry gustatory area located and what is its function?

Answer 20

Located in the insular cortex within the lateral fissure
Role in taste.

Question 21

What connects Broca and wernicks area?

Answer 21

Deep fibre tract called the arcuate fasciculus
Allow to produce words and understand what is being said in a way that makes sense

Question 22

What is the different role of the dominant and non-dominant hemisphere in speech/language?

Answer 22

Dominant - production and understanding of speech - Brocas area and Wernickes area
Non-dominant - concerned with melody of language, accent and tone of voice.

Question 23

Where is Brocas are located and what does it do?

Answer 23

Located in frontal lobe superior to the lateral fissure and anterior to premotor association area.
Is unilateral on dominant hemisphere (left)
Allows for production of language (muscle movement of mouth/tongue)
Light blue on image

Question 24

Where is Wernickes area located and what is its function?

Answer 24

Spans the parietal and temporal lobes as the wrap around the lateral fissure
Dark blue on image
Allows for comprehension of language

Question 25

What is the role of the frontal association areas?

Answer 25

Is known as prefrontal cortex
Extensive connections with other brain areas - hypothalamus, brainstem. amygdala etc
Role in executive function - memory, problem solving, attention, planning and cognitive flexibility.

Question 26

What is the role of the parietal association area?

Answer 26

Orientates our attension in times and space
Highly interconnected to prefrontal cortex

Question 27

What is the role of the temporal association areas?

Answer 27

Makes linkes between visual stimuli of a face/object and its meaning or identity.

Question 28

What is the different between a unimodal and a heteromodal association cortex?

Answer 28

Unimodal - high order procession of a single sensory or motor modality, normally located next to primary area
Heteromodal - integrate functions from multiple modalities (sensor and/or motor)