Unit 4: Sensory, Motor and Association areas Flashcards
What are the functional areas of the cerebral cortex and what are their functions?
Motor areas- allows us to initiates and plans movements. They are found in the posterior part of the frontal lobe.
Sensory areas- allows us to process sensory stimuli to allow us to have awareness of sensation. They are found in the parietal lobe
Association areas- process information and perform integrative functions which may lead to purposeful action
What is the primary motor cortex (somatomotor)?
It is responsible for the conscious control of precise, skilled, voluntary movements.
It is immediately anterior to the central sulcus- posterior frontal lobe
What is the premotor cortex?
It is involved in the planning of movement and coordinating simulations, sequential, patterned and repetitive movements. Also involved in learning motor skills
It is anterior to the primary motor cortex
What is Broca’s area?
It is responsible for directing the muscles of the tongue in speech production. Effects intention to speak (speech preparation and production)
It is inferior to the premotor cortex (frontal lobe) and usually present in the left hemisphere(usually in dominant lobe (most people are right handed so opposite side))). It is simultaneously found in the prefrontal cortex
What is the primary sensory area (somatosensory)?
It is responsible for processing somatic sensation from the body (primarily from skin). These include touch proprioception, nociception and temperature so we become aware of them
It is immediately posterior to the central sulcus in the parietal lobe. (Post central gyrus)
What is the somatosensory association area?
It is responsible for integrating sensory information- forms a comprehensive understanding of stimulus from present and past stimuli, and relationship of parts without visual information . Analyse and recognise somatic sensations.
It is posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex (parietal lobe)
What is the primary visual cortex?
It receives visual information from the retinas via the optic nerve.
It is in the posterior tip of the occipital lobe
What is the visual association area?
It is responsible for interpreting visual stimuli (e.g colour, form, and movement) and processes the information for us be recognise them as objects.
It is anterior to the primary visual cortex
What is the primary auditory cortex?
It receives information related to pitch, rhythm, and loudness from neurons in the inner ear.
It is at the end of the lateral sulcus in the temporal lobe.
What is the auditory association area?
It is responsible for analysing and recognising sound
It also plays a part in storing memories of sounds for recognition.It is important in language.
Allows perception of sound as speech, music, memories of sound are stored here
Is posterior to the primary auditory cortex.
What is Wernicke’s area?
It is responsible for speech comprehension. Damage to this area could result in word salad- fluent speech but words not making sense
(R hemisphere in the equivalent area responsible for processing emotion in speech)
It is the posterior part of the auditory association area.
What is the gustatory area?
It is responsible for taste perception.
It is found deep in the temporal lobe on the roof of the lateral sulcus.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
It is involved with intellect, cognition, recall, and personality expression, necessary for judgement, reasoning, complex cognitive behaviour, and conscience
It is the anterior portion of the frontal lobe.
