Lecture 22: Central Nervous System – Brain Anatomy I (Chapter 12)

  • Identify the 4 major divisions of the brain, and describe the basic functions of each

    • Cerebrum: Responsible for intellectual activities, voluntary movements, sensory perception, language, and memory.

    • Diencephalon: Includes the thalamus and hypothalamus; controls sensory processing, emotions, and homeostasis functions like temperature and hunger.

    • Cerebellum: Regulates balance, posture, and coordination of voluntary movements.

    • Brainstem: Controls basic life-sustaining functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

    • Neural tube, and understand that these divisions of the brain develop from the neural tube

      • The neural tube is the early structure in embryonic development that eventually forms the brain and spinal cord.

      • During weeks 4 to 8 of gestation, this tube undergoes critical development,

      • Leads to the formation of major brain divisions like the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.

  • Describe the structure and function of the brain ventricles

    • The brain ventricles are four interconnected cavities within the brain that produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Their primary function is to protect the brain by cushioning it against injury, removing waste products, and transporting nutrients and proteins to neurological tissues.

    • Lateral, Third, Fourth and Spinal Cord

  • Explain what is meant by the term “contralateral”: Opposite side of the body; when a hemisphere primarily receives sensory information from and directs movement of the contralateral side of the body. 

  • Describe the function of the corpus callosum: The corpus callosum connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to communicate and coordinate activities.

    • Describe the effects of severing the corpus collosum (i.e. describe what was learned from the “split brain experiments”)

      • Severing it, as seen in "split-brain experiments," revealed that each hemisphere has specialized functions and processes information independently, leading to fascinating insights into lateralization of brain functions. 

        • Ex: The word face is flashed to the right side of view,  the patient says he saw the word face because the left hemisphere is dominant for verbal processing. When the same word is flashed to the left side of view, the patient can draw what he sees but he cannot say it because the right hemisphere cannot share information with the left. 

  • Describe the general structure and function of the cerebral cortex

    • Identify the 5 cerebral lobes

      • Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula 

  • Locate the following structures of the cerebrum:

    • Longitudinal fissure

    • Transverse cerebral fissure

    • Precentral sulcus

    • Central sulcus

    • Lateral sulcus

    • Parieto-occipital sulcus

  • Identify the location and function of each of the following functional regions of the cerebrum:

    • Broca’s area

      • Location: Left frontal lobe 

      • Function: Language production

    • Wernicke’s area

      • Location: Left temporal lobe

      • Function: Language comprehension 

    • Primary motor cortex

      • Location: Frontal lobe, along prefrontal gyrus

      • Function: Directs voluntary control of skeletal muscle 

    • Primary somatosensory cortex

      • Location: Parietal lobe, along the postcentral gyrus

      • Function: Receives sensory information 

    • Premotor cortex

      • Location: frontal lobe, in front of the primary motor cortex.

      • Function: Coordination of complex, learned movements 

    • Somatosensory association cortex

      • Location: Parietal lobe, just posterior primary somatosensory cortex

      • Function: Integration of sensory input, help to understand objects 

    • Primary visual cortex

      • Location: Occipital lobe

      • Function: Receives visual information 

    • Visual association area

      • Location: Occipital lobe

      • Function: Interprets visual stimuli

    • Primary auditory cortex

      • Location: Temporal lobe, superior temporal gyrus.

      • Function: Receive auditory information 

    • Auditory association area

      • Location: Temporal lobe 

      • Function: Interprets auditory stimuli

    • Primary olfactory cortex

      • Location: Temporal lobe

      • Function: Smell& Interpretation of odors 

    • Gustatory cortex

      • Location: Insula just deep to temporal lobe  

      • Function: Perceive taste stimuli 

    • Anterior association area

      • Location: Prefrontal cortex

      • Function: Responsible for complex learning, intellect, judgement, reasoning, and personality 

        • Phineas Gage 

    • Posterior association area

      • Location: Occipital lobe 

      • Function: Responsible for recognizing faces & patterns, combining sensory inputs into a coherent whole

        • L.H. Prosopagnosia