Physio - Brain regions/functions - Cerebral Cortex

the outer layer of the brain containing right and left hemispheres

cerebral cortex

four lobes of cerebral cortex

frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital

the frontal lobe contains… (3)

broca’s area

prefrontal cortex (PFC)

primary motor cortex

broca’s area

major language area in the dominant (usually left) frontal lobe

damage to broca’s area causes what?

broca’s aphasia - aka expressive aphasia and nonfluent aphasia

characterized by:

• slow, labored speech that is mostly nouns and verbs

• impaired repetition

• anomia (inability to recall names of familiar object)

comprehension of written/spoken language is still intact

anomia

inability to recall names of familiar objects (often associated with broca’s aphasia)

prefrontal cortex (PFC)

plays an essential role in executive functions (aka higher-order cognitive processes) including planning, decision-making, working memory, prospective memory, social judgment, and self-monitoring

also involved in emotions, motivation, and personality

4 major regions of the PFC

1. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)

2. ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC)

   1. ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)

3. orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (role, damage, disorders)

role: executive functions