cerebral cortex

cerebral cortex

largest part of the brain - layers of cells on the outer surface of the cerebral hemisphere of the forebrain

corpus callosum and anterior commissure

bundles of axons through which neurons in each hemisphere communicate with the other

what are the differences between the cerebral cortex of primates and humans

larger, more folding, and more neurons per unit of volume

laminae

up to 6 layers of cell bodies that are parallel to the surface of the cerebral cortex and separated from each other by layers of fibers

colmns

the cortex’s collection of cells perpendicular to the surface of the cortex and to its laminae - cells within a column have similar properties to each other

occipital lobe

at the posterior end of the cortex, main target for visual information

posterior pole of the occipital lobe

called the primary visual cortex, or striate cortex - damage causes cortical blindness in related part of visual field

what is different about a person with complete cortical blindness?

no conscious visual perception and no visual imagery (not even in dreams)

parietal lobe

lies between the occipital lobe and central sulcus - essential for spatial and numerical information

central sulcus

deep groove in the surface of the cortex

postcentral gyrus

posterior to the central sulcus, recieves sensations from touch receptors, muscle-stretch receptors, and joint receptors - four bands of cells parallel to the central sulcus

what do the four bands of cells in the postcentral gyrus do?

receive simultaneous information from different parts of the body - two of the bands receive mostly light-touch information, one receives deep-pressure information, and one receives a combination of both

frontal lobe

containing the primary motor cortex and the prefrontal cortex, extends from the central sulcus to the anterior limit of the brain

precentral gyrus

posterior portion of frontal lobe, is specialized for the control of fine movements, such as moving a finger - each area controls one part of the body, mostly on the contralateral (opposite) side

prefrontal cortex

most anterior portion of the frontal lobe

default network

several areas in the prefrontal cortex and the temporoparietal junction - dominate activity when you don’t need to concentrate on anything in particular

prefrontal lobotomy

surgery that consisted of damaging the prefrontal cortex or cutting its connections to the rest of the cortex

what were the common consequences of prefrontal lobotomy

apathy, lack of initiative, memory disorders, distractibility, and a loss of emotional expressions, as well as impulsivity

what is the posterior region of the prefrontal cortex associated with?

movement

what is the middle zone of the prefrontal cortex associated with?

cognitive control, emotional reactions, and certain aspects of memorywha

what is the anterior zone of the prefrontal cortex associated with?

making decisions, evaluating which action will achieve the best outcome

binding problem

question of how various brain areas produce a perception of a single object

what does binding require?

identifying the location of an object and perceiving all aspects of a stimulus as being simultaneous