Overview of the Cerebral Cortex and Its Lobes

What is the cerebral cortex?

The outer surface of the cerebrum, responsible for receiving information from the environment, controlling responses, and allowing complex voluntary movements and higher order thinking processes.

What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

1. Frontal lobe, 2. Parietal lobe, 3. Temporal lobe, 4. Occipital lobe.

What functions are associated with the frontal lobe?

Initiating movement, language, planning, judging, problem-solving, and aspects of personality and emotions.

What does the parietal lobe process?

It processes and interprets somatosensory input, including touch and proprioception (the position and movement of body parts).

What is the primary function of the temporal lobe?

Understanding language, memory acquisition, face and object recognition, and processing auditory information.

What is the role of the occipital lobe?

Responsible for visual perception, including colour, form, and motion.

What is the primary motor cortex?

A smaller area in the frontal lobe responsible for movement of the skeletal muscles.

What does the primary somatosensory cortex do?

Processes sensations such as touch, pressure, temperature, and pain, located in the parietal lobe.

What is the primary auditory cortex?

A smaller area in the temporal lobe responsible for receiving sounds from the ears.

What is the primary visual cortex?

A smaller area in the occipital lobe responsible for processing information from the eyes.

What is the cerebrum?

The inner layer of grey matter and white matter under the cerebral cortex, responsible for voluntary movement and complex thought processes.

What are the responsibilities of the cerebrum?

Voluntary movement and complex thought processes such as perception, imagination, judgement, and decision-making.

What is the corpus callosum?

A band of neural fibres that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres, allowing communication between them.

Where is the frontal lobe located?

At the front of the brain.

Where is the parietal lobe located?

At the top of the brain.

Where is the temporal lobe located?

On the sides of the brain.

Where is the occipital lobe located?

At the back of the brain.

What is proprioception?

The sense of the position and movement of body parts.

What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

To receive information from the environment and control responses.

What type of information does the occipital lobe process?

Visual information.

What type of information does the temporal lobe process?

Auditory information.

What is the significance of the corpus callosum?

It facilitates communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.