DANCEST 805 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Postcentral Gyrus, Visual Cortex, Primary Motor Cortex
Document Summary
Above and around the brain stem sits the huge forebrain, composed of two symmetrical cerebral hemispheres. This is the site of all thoughts, detailed perceptions, and consciousness. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres. The two brain-halfs are connected through the corpus callosum (white matter between the cerebral hemispheres, massive bridge containing millions of axons) The hemispheres are divided between the left and right, and have a contralateral control. These areas receive input from the sensory areas and lower parts of the brain and are involved in the complex processes that we call perception, thought, and decision making. Each hemisphere has four "lobes": the occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes: 1) the occipital lobe is almost exclusively devoted to the sense of vision. The limbic system consists of several distinct structures that interconnect with one another in a circuit wrapped around the thalamus and basal ganglia. The thalamus appears to play a role inattention as well.
