Neuroscience Study Questions - Forebrain

Diencephalon

Contains functional centers for the integration of all information passing from the brainstem and spinal cord to the cerebral hemispheres as well as the integration of motor and visceral activities

Telencephalon

Paired cerebral hemispheres - integrates the highest mental functions such as: Awareness of sensation and emotions, learning and memory, and intelligence and creativity, and language.

Diencephalon: Thalamus

Relay station for all sensory systems (except olfactory) heading to brain/cerebrum (drastic oversimplfication)

Diencephalon: Hypothalamus

Primary control of autonomics and endocrine system

• Regulates body temperature, certain metabolic process, and other autonomic activities)

Diencephalon: Epithalamus

Pineal gland → sleep/wake cycle (release melatonin) and seed of the conscious (so they say)

Diencephalon: Sub-thalamus

Involved in basal ganglia function

Wha are the components of the telencephalon

Basal ganglia (putamen, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus)

What are the 4 types of Cortical Connections?

1. Intracortical

2. Association

3. Commissural

4. Projection

Cortical Connections: Intracortical

Connects cells in layer 1 (not discussed)

• Ex. Neuron to neuron connections

Cortical Connections: Association

Connect gyrus to gyrus in same or different lobes in same hemisphere (do not cross hemispheres)

• Superior longitudinal fascuculus (connects frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes)

Cortical Connections: Commissural

Connects homologous areas of the two hemispheres

• Ex. Corpus Collosum

Cortical Connections: Projection

Connect the cerebral cortex with subcortical nuclei through the internal capsule

• Ex. Corticofugal (away from cortex - efferent) and Corticopetal (towards the cortex - afferent)

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Primary Motor Cortex

Number: Four

Function:

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Premotor Cortex

Number: Six

Function: Gross motor movements; prepares muscles to form movements that allow for discrete motions

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Frontal Eye Field

Number: Eight

Function: Conjugate Eye Movements

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Supplemental Motor

Number: Six and Eight

Function: Responsible for complex movements involving several parts of the body.

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Prefrontal or Frontal Association

Number: 45, 8, and 6

Function:

• Orbital: Emotion, behavior, olfaction

• Lateral: Intellectual Abilities (conceptualizing, planning, judgement, and problem solving).

Brodman’s Area - Frontal Lobe: Motor Language Area

Number: 44 & 45 (Broca’s area)

Function: Motor speech production

Brodman’s Area - Parietal Lobe: Primary Somatosensory

Number: 3,1,2

Function: Tactile discrimination and postion sense on the controlateral side

Brodman’s Area - Parietal Lobe: Secondary Somatosensory

Number: 40

Function: Pain perception

Brodman’s Area - Parietal Lobe: Parietal Association

Number: 7, 5, 40, 39

Function: Tactile and visual processing more intimately concerned with cognition of the body itself and surrounding objects

• Neglect syndrom association

Brodman’s Area - Temporal Lobe: Primary Auditory Cortex

Number: 41 & 42

Function: Hearing (damage to one side has a small effect)

Brodman’s Area - Temporal Lobe: Auditory Association Area

Number: 22 (winerkies area)

Function: Receptive language/Speech comprehension

Brodman’s Area - Temporal Lobe: Areas Associated with Emotions & Higher Mental Functions

Number: 20, 21, 37

Function:

• Dominant side: Storage of auditory info

• Non-dominant side = Storage of visual information

Brodman’s Area - Occipital Lobe: Primary Visual Cortex

Number: 17

Function: Initial Visual processing, segregation of visual information into its components (orientation, depth, color, motion)

Brodman’s Area - Occipital Lobe: Visual Association Areas

Number: 18 & 19

Function: Complex visual perceptions relation to color, movement, and object orientation.

Which hemisphere is the dominant one in most individuals? How is it defined

in 95% of people the left side of the brain is the dominant side.

• This is because it holds the language comprehension area (22)

• It excels in: Language verbalization, mathematics, and problem soving.

What does the Non-Dominant hemisphere excel in?

• Spatial perception/awareness

• Emotional (non-verbal) aspects of language and communication, some musical skills, facial recognition, and spacial relationships.

Expressive Aphasia

Slow & prolonged output of words, poor ability to generate words and short sentences.

• Broca’s area

Receptive Aphasia

Production of words in normal, but the ability to comprehend language/speech in any form (spoken, read, or heard) is impaired

• Wernikies area

Thalamus: Ventro-Posterior Medulla (VPM)

Relay point for somatosensation for the head

Thalamus: Ventro-Posterior Lateral (VPL_

Relay for somatosensation for the body