Cerebral Cortex & Hemispheric Specialization Lecture

Vocabulary flashcards covering cortical lobes, key neural structures, neurotransmitters, and hemispheric functions discussed in the lecture.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the forebrain (gray matter) where higher-order human cognition occurs.

Gray Matter

Neuron cell-body–rich tissue forming the cortex; site of information processing.

Forebrain

The brain’s largest division; includes the cerebral cortex and underlying subcortical structures.

Frontal Lobes

Front cortical region responsible for executive functions, impulse control, planning, decision-making, and language production.

Parietal Lobes

Cortical area behind the frontal lobes; integrates sensory perception, spatial awareness, proprioception, and somatosensation.

Occipital Lobes

Rear cortical region dedicated primarily to visual processing.

Temporal Lobes

Side cortical regions housing auditory processing, language comprehension, memory (hippocampus), and aspects of emotion and sexuality.

Executive Function

A set of cognitive processes (planning, judgment, problem solving) coordinated by the frontal lobes.

Impulse Control

The ability to inhibit inappropriate behaviors; governed largely by frontal-lobe circuits.

Phineas Gage

Railroad worker whose frontal-lobe injury revealed roles of that lobe in personality, impulse control, and decision-making.

Motor Cortex

Frontal-lobe strip controlling voluntary muscle movements (contralateral to the body side).

Somatosensory Cortex

Parietal-lobe area that registers and interprets body sensations.

Proprioception

The sense of body position and movement in space; tied to parietal-lobe processing.

Alien Hand Syndrome

Condition where a limb acts seemingly on its own, often after corpus-callosum or parietal damage.

Corpus Callosum

Wide band of millions of axons connecting the two cerebral hemispheres and enabling communication between them.

Hemispheric Specialization

The concept that left and right cerebral hemispheres perform distinct yet complementary functions.

Contralateral Processing

Neural arrangement in which each hemisphere controls/receives information from the opposite side of the body or visual field.

Ipsilateral Processing

Neural arrangement in which input is processed on the same side (e.g., smell to the same-side hemisphere).

Bilateral Processing

Input that goes to both hemispheres simultaneously (e.g., each eye sends signals to both hemispheres).

Visual Field

The external area visible to each eye; information from each visual field projects to the opposite hemisphere.

Broca’s Area

Left-frontal cortical region crucial for speech production; damage causes expressive aphasia.

Wernicke’s Area

Left-temporal region essential for language comprehension; damage causes receptive aphasia.

Aphasia

Language impairment (production or comprehension) usually due to cortical damage such as in Broca’s or Wernicke’s areas.

Substantia Nigra

Midbrain structure that produces dopamine and provides inhibitory control of movement; degeneration leads to Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s Disease

Progressive motor disorder (tremor, rigidity) caused by substantia-nigra dopamine loss.

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter involved in movement, reward, and psychosis; imbalance linked to Parkinson’s and schizophrenia.

L-Dopa

Chemical precursor given to raise brain dopamine levels in Parkinson’s patients.

Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia

Theory proposing that excessive dopamine activity contributes to schizophrenic symptoms; supported by L-dopa-induced hallucinations.

Split-Brain Patient

Individual whose corpus callosum is severed or absent, leading to independent hemispheric processing and unique cognitive effects.

Analysis by Touch

Right-hemisphere skill of identifying objects via tactile exploration with eyes closed.