, Cerebral cortex general
anatomy
Land marks:
Central sulcus: Separates frontal & parietal lobes
Parieto-occipital fissure: Separates parietal & occipital lobe (medial surface)
Lateral fissure: Separates temporal lobe from parietal & occipital lobes
Lobes:
Frontal: motor / efferent planning + execution & Personality
parietal: sensory / sensory association
temporal: processing sound, recognition of faces, and language processing
-medial temporal: emotion, memory, & learning
occipital: vision / processing (Primary visual cortex lines calcarine sulcus)
3 layers of the cerebral cortex
Neocortex: 6 layers of cells. Makes up 90% of cerebral cortex
• layer V: Internal Granular Layer (main input layer)
• Layer VI: Internal Pyramidal Layer (main output layer)
Archicortex: hippocampal formation
Paleo cortex: olfactory cortex
Intracortical communication uses Granular Neurons
Much of what we understand is from:
-Studying what has been destroyed
• Animals & Humans after injuries
-Studying what is being stimulated
, Cerebral Cortex – Association Areas
3 areas: Prefrontal, Parieto-occipito-temporal, Limbic
Parieto-occipito-temporal
function: Interprets incoming sensory information
-Somatic sensation
-Visual
-Auditory
-Olfactory
Sub-areas include:
-Spatial coordinates: ability to localize & process our own body parts, Sounds, Visual stimuli
-Language comprehension (Wernicke’s): Provides us with the ability to comprehend written & spoken language
• Most important area for higher intellectual function because: majority of our experiences are converted into
language form (memories & thoughts)
• Located in the dominant hemisphere (left side in 95%), 50% larger at birth on dominant side, damage causes
aphasia
-Visual language processing (reading): in angular gyrus, Located between Primary Visual Cortex and
Wernicke’s (Relays visual stimuli to Wernicke’s area)
-Naming objects: Interprets both auditory and visual information
Prefrontal
Function: Integrates sensory information with deeper meaning and can also involve motor output
-Executive functioning
-Thought processes
-Motor planning
-Working memory
Higher Intellectual Function Deficits (damage to prefrontal associations)
-Loss of ability to solve complex problems
-Decreased ambition/planning
Recognition of Faces:
2 connected portions
-Occipital portion communicates with the
primary visual cortex
-Temporal portion communicates with the
Limbic limbic system (ends in Limbic system)
Function: concerned with emotion, motivation, and behavior Propagnosia: inability to recognize faces
anatomy
Land marks:
Central sulcus: Separates frontal & parietal lobes
Parieto-occipital fissure: Separates parietal & occipital lobe (medial surface)
Lateral fissure: Separates temporal lobe from parietal & occipital lobes
Lobes:
Frontal: motor / efferent planning + execution & Personality
parietal: sensory / sensory association
temporal: processing sound, recognition of faces, and language processing
-medial temporal: emotion, memory, & learning
occipital: vision / processing (Primary visual cortex lines calcarine sulcus)
3 layers of the cerebral cortex
Neocortex: 6 layers of cells. Makes up 90% of cerebral cortex
• layer V: Internal Granular Layer (main input layer)
• Layer VI: Internal Pyramidal Layer (main output layer)
Archicortex: hippocampal formation
Paleo cortex: olfactory cortex
Intracortical communication uses Granular Neurons
Much of what we understand is from:
-Studying what has been destroyed
• Animals & Humans after injuries
-Studying what is being stimulated
, Cerebral Cortex – Association Areas
3 areas: Prefrontal, Parieto-occipito-temporal, Limbic
Parieto-occipito-temporal
function: Interprets incoming sensory information
-Somatic sensation
-Visual
-Auditory
-Olfactory
Sub-areas include:
-Spatial coordinates: ability to localize & process our own body parts, Sounds, Visual stimuli
-Language comprehension (Wernicke’s): Provides us with the ability to comprehend written & spoken language
• Most important area for higher intellectual function because: majority of our experiences are converted into
language form (memories & thoughts)
• Located in the dominant hemisphere (left side in 95%), 50% larger at birth on dominant side, damage causes
aphasia
-Visual language processing (reading): in angular gyrus, Located between Primary Visual Cortex and
Wernicke’s (Relays visual stimuli to Wernicke’s area)
-Naming objects: Interprets both auditory and visual information
Prefrontal
Function: Integrates sensory information with deeper meaning and can also involve motor output
-Executive functioning
-Thought processes
-Motor planning
-Working memory
Higher Intellectual Function Deficits (damage to prefrontal associations)
-Loss of ability to solve complex problems
-Decreased ambition/planning
Recognition of Faces:
2 connected portions
-Occipital portion communicates with the
primary visual cortex
-Temporal portion communicates with the
Limbic limbic system (ends in Limbic system)
Function: concerned with emotion, motivation, and behavior Propagnosia: inability to recognize faces
