Brain, sensory input, and our concept of reality / the cerebrum

the brain is a ___

predictor, based on prior experiences and expectations

what are the 4 cerebral lobes

frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

what is the frontal lobe known for

• executive functions

• motor control

• language production

• emotional regulation

what is the parietal lobe known for

• sensory integration

• spatial awareness

• attention

• mathematic processing

what is the temporal lobe known for

• auditory processing

• memory

• language comprehension

• emotion processing

what is the occipital lobe known for

• visual processing

• color recognition

• motion perception

• reading

transduction

the process of converting energy or a signal from one form to another

what is the receptor function of mechanoreceptors

detecting movement

what are some examples of mechanoreceptors

• touch receptors in the skin

• hair cells in auditory apparatus

• hair cells in vestibular apparatus

• baroreceptors detecting blood vessel stretch

• muscle spindle receptors

• Golgi tendon organs

what is the receptor function of thermoreceptors

detecting temperature

what is an example of thermoreceptors

the free nerve endings in the skin

what is the receptor function of nociceptors

detecting damage

what’s an example of a nociceptor

free nerve endings in the skin

what is the receptor function of photoreceptors

detecting photons

what are examples of photoreceptors

rod and cone photoreceptors in the eye

what is the receptor function of chemoreceptors

detecting chemicals

what are examples of chemoreceptors

• olfactory receptors

• gustatory receptors

• blood glucose detectors

what is the function of osmoreceptors

detecting particle concentration in the blood

what is an example of osmoreceptors

receptors in the hypothalamus that detect particle concentration in blood

how does the thalamus act as a relay station

neurons from different sensory pathways synapse at different thalamic nuclei. the thalamic nuclei then projects the signal to the appropriate part of the brain

when do we perceive signals

if the signal is processed at the cortex

when wouldn’t we perceive signals

if the signal is processed below the cortex (the pons/medulla)

corpus callosum

the cerebrum has two hemispheres, and the corpus callosum connects them

• its composed of mylinated axons

what is the cerebral cortex composed of? where is it located

its composed of grey matter and its found on the outside layer of the cerebrum

what is notable about layer 1 in the cerebral cortex

it has almost no cell bodies

what is notable about layer 2 in the cerebral cortex

it mainly consists of inhibitory neurons

what is notable about layer 3 of the cerebral cortex

it mainly contains excitatory neurons

what is notable about layer 1, 2, and 3 of the cerebral cortex?

these layers cinnect adjacent cortical regions and intergrate cortical function

what is notable about layer 4 of the cerebral cortex

most sensory signals project to this layer (visual info finally arrives here, that is when we detect the stimulus)

what is notable about layers 5 and 6 of the cerebral cortex

pyramidal cells of these layers are the major output cells of the cortex. they allow info to connect to the PNS