Brain structure
Rats have massive olfactory bulbs because of their
sense of smell
• The skull protects the brain from trauma and the
brain floats in the CSF
• The human brain can be divided in Broadmann areas
(BA) based on cytoarchitecture or histological
structure of the neurones in the cerebral cortex
• There are gyri and sulci in the gyrencephalic brain.
The brain of rat is not as convoluted as the human
one, is smooth (lissencephalic)
Frontal lobe
• The frontal lobe is the largest of the 4 lobes
• It is located in front of the parietal lobe (divided by the central sulcus)
and temporal lobe (separated by the lateral sulcus or Sylvian fissure)
• Divided into:
Prefrontal cortex (right at the front) which is divided into
Orbitofrontal cortex (BA10,11)
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9,11)
Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (BA47,45,44)
Broca’s area is located in left hemisphere BA44 and 45 (lesions to this area cause non-fluent aphasia)
Non-fluent aphasia (Broca’s aphasia)=Speech is effortful and sounds rather stilted, with most
utterances limited to 4 words or less. A person with Broca's aphasia relies mostly on important key words
(nouns and verbs) to communicate their message.
, Functional role of prefrontal cortex: The prefrontal cortex helps people set and
achieve goals. It receives input from multiple regions of the brain to process
information and adapts accordingly. The prefrontal cortex contributes to a wide variety
of executive functions, including: reward, attention, short-term memory tasks, planning an
and motivation. It’s also the one that still develops under the age of 25, that’s why decision-making isn’t
as good:))) risky behaviour
Cingulate cortex which is divided into
Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA32)
Ventral anterior cingulate cortex (BA24)
Pregenual area 33 (BA33)
Functional role of cingulate cortex: The cingulate cortex is involved in complex
cognitive function: empathy, impulse control, emotion, decision-making.
age
Premotor cortex (BA6,8)
Functional role of the premotor cortex: The premotor cortex is involved in
assisting the integration of sensory and motor information, preparing body’s muscles
for the exact movement. Also preparing our body to speech
I
Primary motor cortex (or precentral gyrus) (BA4)
Functional role of the Primary motor cortex: The primary motor cortex is
involved in the execution of the body’s muscles for the exact movement.
common tests for frontal lobe function:
Wisconsin Card Sorting (cognitive reasoning)
Finger tapping (motor skills)
Token test (language skills)
Something more about frontal lobes
The frontal lobes are considered our emotional control center and home to our personality. There is no
other part of the brain where lesions can cause such a wide variety of symptoms (Kolb & Wishaw, 1990).
The frontal lobes are involved in motor function, problem solving, spontaneity, memory, language,
Rats have massive olfactory bulbs because of their
sense of smell
• The skull protects the brain from trauma and the
brain floats in the CSF
• The human brain can be divided in Broadmann areas
(BA) based on cytoarchitecture or histological
structure of the neurones in the cerebral cortex
• There are gyri and sulci in the gyrencephalic brain.
The brain of rat is not as convoluted as the human
one, is smooth (lissencephalic)
Frontal lobe
• The frontal lobe is the largest of the 4 lobes
• It is located in front of the parietal lobe (divided by the central sulcus)
and temporal lobe (separated by the lateral sulcus or Sylvian fissure)
• Divided into:
Prefrontal cortex (right at the front) which is divided into
Orbitofrontal cortex (BA10,11)
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9,11)
Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (BA47,45,44)
Broca’s area is located in left hemisphere BA44 and 45 (lesions to this area cause non-fluent aphasia)
Non-fluent aphasia (Broca’s aphasia)=Speech is effortful and sounds rather stilted, with most
utterances limited to 4 words or less. A person with Broca's aphasia relies mostly on important key words
(nouns and verbs) to communicate their message.
, Functional role of prefrontal cortex: The prefrontal cortex helps people set and
achieve goals. It receives input from multiple regions of the brain to process
information and adapts accordingly. The prefrontal cortex contributes to a wide variety
of executive functions, including: reward, attention, short-term memory tasks, planning an
and motivation. It’s also the one that still develops under the age of 25, that’s why decision-making isn’t
as good:))) risky behaviour
Cingulate cortex which is divided into
Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA32)
Ventral anterior cingulate cortex (BA24)
Pregenual area 33 (BA33)
Functional role of cingulate cortex: The cingulate cortex is involved in complex
cognitive function: empathy, impulse control, emotion, decision-making.
age
Premotor cortex (BA6,8)
Functional role of the premotor cortex: The premotor cortex is involved in
assisting the integration of sensory and motor information, preparing body’s muscles
for the exact movement. Also preparing our body to speech
I
Primary motor cortex (or precentral gyrus) (BA4)
Functional role of the Primary motor cortex: The primary motor cortex is
involved in the execution of the body’s muscles for the exact movement.
common tests for frontal lobe function:
Wisconsin Card Sorting (cognitive reasoning)
Finger tapping (motor skills)
Token test (language skills)
Something more about frontal lobes
The frontal lobes are considered our emotional control center and home to our personality. There is no
other part of the brain where lesions can cause such a wide variety of symptoms (Kolb & Wishaw, 1990).
The frontal lobes are involved in motor function, problem solving, spontaneity, memory, language,
