Intro to Cerebral Cortex

Outline of Lecture 34 (03-03 A; Hendry) Intro to Cerebral Cortex I. Cerebral cortex A) Neuroanatomy of the cortex - Central sulcus, lateral fissure, parieto-occipital sulcus divide brain into lobes - Don’t forget the insula and gyri B) Segregation of function: each lobe performs a specific function - Primary areas vs. association areas - Primary visual area is in occipital lobe (banks of calcarine fissure) - Primary motor area is in frontal lobe (precentral gyrus) - Primary somatosensory area is in parietal lobe (postcentral gyrus) - Primary auditory area is in temporal lobe (lower bank of lateral fissure) - Info from primary areas sent in two directions 1) memory areas in ventral temporal lobe 2) motor planning areas in caudal parietal lobe C) Definition of a cortical area - Function: this is the primary determinant of an area - Connections: define an area based on characteristic connections to other areas, e.g. connections that give an area its function - Structure: has been used to divide cortex by number (e.g. by cell and tissue morphology), but this system has fallen out of favor (except a few numbered regions) D) Association areas of cerebral cortex - Prefrontal areas: conscious thought - Parietal association areas: relation of self to environment (extrapersonal space) - Visual association areas (rostral occipital lobe): visual analysis