The Cerebral Cortex

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The Cerebral Cortex
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The Evolving Brain

• Different animal species have many structures in
  common, including a cerebellum and cortex.
• The cortex is much larger in mammals than in
  species that evolved earlier, such as fish and
  amphibians.
• The cross section of the human brain shows how
  the cerebral cortex has developed around and
  above more primitive brain structures.

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When it comes to CortexSize DOES Matter

• If flattened, a human cortex would cover about
  four pages of this book.
• A chimpanzee's would cover one page
• a monkey's a postcard
• a rat's a postage stamp.
• From Scientific American, October 1994, p. 102.

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Areas of the Cortex

• More intelligent animals have increased
  "uncommitted" or association areas of the cortex.
  
• These vast areas of the brain are responsible for
  integrating and acting on information received
  and processed by sensory areas.

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Developing Brain

• Neural tubebeginning of nervous system develops
  at 2 weeks after conception
• Neurogenesisdevelopment of new neurons

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Forebrain Structures
Largest Brain Region with the most complex
structures. What separates us from the beasts.
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Cortical Specialization

• Localizationnotion that different functions are
  located in different areas of the brain
• Lateralizationnotion that different functions
  are processed primarily on one side of the brain
  or the other

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Brain has 2 Hemispheres

• Left Right sides are separate
• Corpus Callosum major pathway between
  hemispheres
• Some functions are lateralized
• language on left
• spacial relations, music on right
• Lateralization is never 100

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Lateralization of the Hemispheres
An Example of Spacial Relations
Answer E
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Each hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes
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Lobes of the Cortex

• Frontal lobelargest lobe, produces voluntary
  muscle movements, involved in thinking, planning,
  emotional control
• Temporal lobeprimary receiving area for auditory
  information
• Occipital lobeprimary receiving area for visual
  information
• Parietal lobeprocesses sensory information from
  your body information

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Frontal Lobe

• Contains primary motor cortex
• Important in judgment, planning and sequencing
  areas
• Controls emotional center of the brain (limbic
  system)
• Contains Brocas area for speech
• Prefrontal area for working memory (Short-Term
  Memory) helps you remember what you just did so
  you know what to do next (sequencing)

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Temporal Lobe

• Contains primary auditory cortex interprets
  hearing info
• Inputs are auditory, visual patterns
• speech recognition
• face recognition
• word recognition
• memory formation
• Outputs to limbic System, Basal Ganglia, and
  brainstem

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Occipital Lobe

• Input from Optic nerve
• Contains primary visual cortex
• Makes sense of visual info
• Sends info to parietal and temporal lobes

Occipital Lobe
Visual Lobe
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Parietal Lobe

• Receives info from multiple senses
• Contains primary somatosensory cortex
• your skin sense of touch and temperature.
• Sends info to Frontal lobe to help in
• hand-eye coordination
• eye movements
• attention

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BOREDOM BUSTER!

• Lets Review with Pinky The Brain.

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(No Transcript)
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Motor Cortex Located at the back of the Frontal
Lobe. The more precise movements, the more motor
cortex the part uses up.
Sensory Cortex Located at the front of the
Parietal Lobe. The more sensitive the area, the
more sensory cortex it uses up.
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Language and the Brain

• Aphasiapartial or complete inability to
  articulate ideas or understand language because
  of brain injury or damage
• Brocas areaplays role in speech production
• Wernickes areaplays role in understanding and
  meaningful speech

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Aphasias

• Brocas Aphasia Damage to Brocas Area causes a
  person to struggle formulating words while still
  being able to comprehend speech.
• Wernickes Aphasia Damage to Wernickes Area
  would cause a person only to be able to speak in
  meaningless words.
• Example of Wernickes Aphasia Asked to describe
  a picture of two boys stealing cookies from
  behind a womans back, a patient responded,
• Mother is away her working her work to get her
  better, but when shes looking the two boys
  looking the other part. Shes working another
  time.

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Language Areas of the Brain
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How We Read Out Loud