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Psychobiology (daria) > Unit 2 > Flashcards

Unit 2 Flashcards

Cerebral Cortex

1
Q

What does the cerebral cortex consist of?

A

the outer layer of cells on the surface of the cerebral hemispheres

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2
Q

What is the cerebral cortex vital for?

A

conscious awareness, thought, memory and intellect
-> part of the brain to wich all sensory information is eventually sent, and where it is consciously perceived

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3
Q

What is initiated in the cortex?

A

motor actions

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4
Q

What are the outer cells of the cerebral cortex called?

A

grey matter - made up of neuronal cell bodies
-> represents sites of neural processing
-> neural processing only occurs where neurones synapse on the cell bodies and dendrites of other neurones

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5
Q

What is the role of white matter in the cerebral hemispheres? How is it formed?

A

The axons of neurones in the cortex extend inward, forming white matter.
-> axons CARRY signals to other parts of brain and the spinal cord

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6
Q

What does white matter consist of?

A

consists of axonal pathways that connect different brain regions, allowing for communication between various parts of the nervous system

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7
Q

How thick is the cortex?

A

~3-5 mm
-> extensive folding increases the area of cortex, allowing more neurones to be packed into a smaller space

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8
Q

What do the folds of the brain produce? What is it?

A

gyri: bulges of the folds
sulci: valleys
fissures: valley that are considerably deeper than sulci

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9
Q

How does the size of the cerebral cortex and the degree of folding differ between humans and other mammals?

A

differs considerably
-> in terms of evolution: more advanced brains tend to have more folds in cerebral cortex - therefore more neurones

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10
Q

How is communication between areas of the cortex possible?

A

via white matter pathways

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11
Q

What are the 2 main white matter pathways that connect the hemispheres?

A
  • the corpus callous (lies within the great longitudinal fissure)
  • anterior commissure (relatively smaller)
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12
Q

What is a commissure and are there other ones?

A

Commissure: an axon tract that connects the hemispheres
-> there are several other ones, such as hippocampal commissure (communication between subcortical structures in each hemisphere)

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13
Q

How do most sensory and motor functions work?

A

contralaterally: left hemisphere receives sensory information from the right side of the body and controls movement in right side of body (and vice versa)

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14
Q

What would happen without the corpus callosum?

A

your left brain hemisphere would only be able to react to information on the right side of your body and vice versa for right side
-> allows hemispheres to communicate with each other

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15
Q

What are the cells in the cerebral cortex organized into?

A

laminae and columns

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16
Q

What are laminae and columns?

A

laminae: six different layers of cell bodies that run parallel to the surface of the cortex
columns: groups of cells that run perpendicular to the surface of the cortex

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17
Q

How does the laminae vary across different areas of the cortex and what does it depend on?

A

varies in thickness, sometimes may even be absent in some parts
-> depends on function of each lamina: each one sends and receives different types of information - communicates with different parts of CNS

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18
Q

What is structurally similar within each lamina?

A

the cell bodies, axons and dendrites

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19
Q

What do Laminae I, II and IV receive?

A

sensory information detected from around the body

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20
Q

What do Laminae III and V contain?

A

neurones that communicate with other parts of the brain, and play an important role in communicating messages for producing movements

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21
Q

What does the Lamina VI also contain?

A

Neurones that send message to other parts of the brain (e.g.: thalamus, other areas of the cerebral cortex)

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22
Q

How do the columns of cells in the cortex run compared to the laminae?

A

perpendicular (at 90 degrees to another)

23
Q

What characterizes a column of cells in the cortex?

A

consists of a narrow chain of cells that share similar properties and functions.
-> cells can communicate with neighboring columns and may group together with similar columns to enhance processing power

24
Q

What is the advantage of grouping cells with the same function in well-connected columns within the brain?

A

allows the brain to operate quickly and efficiently, enhancing overall processing capabilities.

25
Q

How does the structure of columns in the cortex contribute to processing power?

A

Each column contains many cells, providing greater processing power than a single neuron
-> allowing for more complex functions and information handling.

26
Q

What can columns be seen as?

A

single processing units of the cerebral cortex

27
Q

How do cells within a column of the cortex communicate across different laminae?

A

vertically with other cells in the same column that belong to different laminae, facilitating integrated processing across the layers of the cerebral cortex

28
Q

What did Brodmann produce in the early 20th century?

A

a numbered cytoarchitectural map of the cerebral cortex based upon how each region differs from each other in terms of cellular structure

29
Q

What is Cytoarchitecture? Is it still used in modern research?

A

how neurones are arranged in the CNS
-> yes, but less and less areas are now labelled according to the function they are associated with

30
Q

What remains regarding to the Brodmann’s area?

A

a significant correspondence between these areas and functionally defined regions of the cortex
-> suggests that the functionality of cortical regions is closely related to their cellular structure

31
Q

What are the three main types of axon fibers in the brain?

A
  • Association fibers
  • Commissural fibers
  • Projection fibers
32
Q

What are white matter tracts and fibers responsible for?

A

carrying information between different parts of the cortex, and between the cortex and other parts of the CNS

33
Q

What is the function of association fibres?

A

interconnect different parts of the cortex within one cerebral hemisphere

34
Q

What is the function of Commissural fibres?

A

run from one cerebral hemisphere to the other, connecting functionally related structures

35
Q

What is the function of projection fibres?

A

connect the cortex with subcortical structures such as the thalamus, striatum, brainstem and spinal cord

36
Q

What are the cells of the cerebral cortex organized into?

A

4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes
-> boundaries are marked out by prominent sulci and fissures in the cerebral cortex

37
Q

What are the functions of lateral tissue and central sulcus?

A
  • lateral fissue: separates the temporal lobe below from the frontal and parietal lobes above
  • central sulcus: runs from great longitudinal fissure to lateral fissure, which marks boundary between the frontal and parietal lobes
38
Q

What is the boundary between the parietal and occipital lobe marked by?

A

parieto-occipital sulcus on the medial surface

39
Q

How do cells in different lobes of the brain relate to common functions, and what complicates the assignment of specific functions to particular regions?

A

Cells in each lobe of the brain, such as those in the occipital lobe, share common functions, like processing visual information.
-> assigning a specific function to a region is complex because all cortical areas communicate with one another, contributing to various psychological functions

40
Q

What is the main site of visual processes?

A

the occipital lobe

41
Q

What is the most posterior part of the occipital lobe?

A

the primary visual area/cortex
-> receives visual information from the eyes

42
Q

What is the pathway of visual information from the retina to the primary visual cortex?

A
  • detected by the retina
  • travels through the optic nerves, where half of the optic nerve fibers cross at the optic chiasm
  • Most of information then reaches the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus
  • there it is processed before being sent to the primary visual cortex for further analysis
43
Q

What can damage to the primary visual cortex cause?

A

cortical blindness in the contra-lateral visual hemifield

44
Q

What happens in cortical blindness, and how does it affect mental imagery and visual dreams?

A

visual cortex responsible for producing mental images and perceptions is damaged, not the eyes
-> result: individuals with cortical blindness cannot perceive stimuli but may still experience mental imagery and visual dreams because the primary visual cortex remains intact

45
Q

What does the primary visual area (V1) process?

A

visual information in one small part of the visual field
-> passes it onto neighboring areas, for more complex processing of entire visual scenes

46
Q

How does the brain process different types of visual information?

A

brain processes visual information through two pathways that communicate between neighboring areas.
-> ventral stream and dorsal stream
-> pathways involve different brain areas and are responsible for processing distinct types of visual information

47
Q

What does the term “Association area” refer to?

A

cortical areas that perform more complex processing than primary sensory areas (such as combining information)

47
Q

What is the role of the visual association cortex (V2, V3, V4, V5) in visual processing?

A

integrates various aspects of visual information, allowing for the perception and understanding of complex visual scenes
-> located around the primary visual area in the occipital lobe

48
Q

What does the ventral stream (the “what” pathway) process in visual perception?

A

processes visual information related to colour, brightness, and shape, helping to recognise and identify what the visual stimulus is
-> connects the primary and secondary visual areas with regions in the occipital and temporal lobes

49
Q

What happens if the ventral steam is damaged?

A

results in difficulty describing visual stimuli and causes deficits in visual imagery and memory, such as trouble remembering features like whether someone has a beard

50
Q

What is the dorsal stream (the “where” pathway) responsible for in visual processing?

A

processes visual information related to guiding body movements and spatial awareness
-> connects the primary and secondary visual areas with regions in the temporal lobe (e.g., V5/MT) and parietal lobe, helping the brain determine “where” objects are in space

51
Q

What are the effects of damage to the dorsal stream pathway?

A

results in difficulty with reaching for and grasping objects, even though the individual can describe the visual stimulus
-> can also lead to problems locating unseen body parts, such as describing the position of a hand beneath a table

52
Q

How do the ventral and dorsal streams interact in visual processing?

A

Though the ventral (“what”) and dorsal (“where”) streams are distinct, they are highly interconnected.
-> Activities like reaching for a pen require both streams—identifying the pen (ventral stream) and orienting your body to grasp it (dorsal stream)

53
Q
A

Psychobiology (daria) (2 decks)

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