The Cortex

cerebral cortex

Unique mantle of grey matter covering the cerebral hemispheres.

gyri

raised folds on the surface of the cortex that increase the brain's surface area, allowing for a greater number of neurons and more complex processing.

sulci

Grooves between the gyri on the cerebral cortex, which help increase the surface area of the brain and separate different brain regions.

frontal lobe

Front-most part of the cerebral hemispheres, responsible for higher cognitive functions, voluntary movement, and speech production.

• Motor Control: The primary motor cortex, located in the precentral gyrus, controls voluntary movements of muscles.

• Executive Functions: The prefrontal cortex is involved in higher-order functions such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning, and reasoning.

• Language Production: Contains Broca's area (usually in the left hemisphere), which is responsible for speech production.

• Behavior and Personality: The prefrontal cortex also regulates emotions, social behaviour, impulse control, and personality traits.

Location: Situated at the front of the brain, extending from the forehead to the central sulcus, which separates it from the parietal lobe.

parietal lobe

Region of the cerebral cortex that processes sensory information related to touch, temperature, and spatial awareness.

• Sensory Processing: The primary somatosensory cortex, located in the postcentral gyrus, processes sensory input from the body (e.g., touch, temperature, pain).

• Spatial Awareness and Perception: The superior parietal lobe is involved in spatial orientation, navigation, and integrating sensory information to form a coherent perception of the environment.

• Language Comprehension: The left parietal lobe contributes to language comprehension, especially understanding written and spoken language.

Location: Located behind the frontal lobe, separated from it by the central sulcus, and extends to the occipital lobe.

temporal lobe

Region of the cerebral cortex located on the sides of the brain, responsible for processing auditory information, encoding memories, and facilitating language comprehension, as well as playing a role in emotion and visual recognition.

• Auditory Processing: Contains the primary auditory cortex, which processes sounds and is involved in understanding spoken language.

• Memory Formation: The medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, is essential for memory formation and storage.

• Language Comprehension: Wernicke's area (usually in the left hemisphere) is responsible for language comprehension.

• Emotional Processing: The amygdala, located in the temporal lobe, is involved in processing emotions and fear responses.

Location: Situated beneath the lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure), extending back toward the occipital lobe.

occipital lobe

Rearmost part of the cerebral hemispheres, primarily responsible for processing visual information.

• Visual Processing: The primary function of the primary visual cortex to process visual information, such as colour, shape, and motion.

• Interpretation of Visual Stimuli: the secondary visual area a role in understanding what is seen, including recognising objects, faces, and spatial relationships.

Location: Located at the back of the brain, behind the parietal and temporal lobes separated by the parieto-occipital sulcus.

insular cortex

Hidden region of the cerebral cortex involved in processing internal bodily sensations, emotions, and certain cognitive functions.

• Interoception: the posterior insular processes internal bodily sensations such as pain, temperature, hunger, and thirst.

• Emotional and Social Functions: the anterior insular is involved in the perception of emotions, empathy, and social experiences.

• Taste Processing: The posterior insular plays a role in the perception of taste and flavour.

• Autonomic Control: The posterior insular regulates autonomic functions, such as heart rate and visceral sensations.

Location: Buried deep within the lateral sulcus, separating the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe.