The Cerebral Cortex
Jan 02, 2016
Cerebral Cortex• Cerebral Cortex – the
interconnected neural cells that form the cerebral hemispheres
• This is the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center
• The cortex covers the lower-level structures
• The wrinkles allow more brain tissue to be packed into the skull
• 30 billion nerve cells in 1/8 inch of brain tissue
Cerebral Cortex Cont’d• Longitudinal fissure –
the crack that runs from the front to the back of the cerebral cortex, separating the left and right hemispheres
• Corpus callosum – band of neural tissue in the longitudinal fissure that allows both sides of the brain to communicate with each other
Brain Lobes• Frontal lobe – controls your most advanced cognitive abilities,
such as judgment and planning
• The frontal lobes rational abilities connects with regions of the limbic system that controls emotion
Brain Lobes Cont’d
• Parietal Lobes – association areas – region for general processing and mathematical reasoning
• Occipital Lobes – visual processing centers of the brain
• Temporal Lobes – area of the brain that deals with auditory cortex and processes sound
Brain Lobes Cont’d• Motor Cortex – strip of tissue
along the back edge of the frontal lobe
• Different parts of the motor cortex control different parts of your body
• The motor cortex is cross wired
• The left side of the motor cortex controls the right side of your body, and the right side of the brain controls the left
Brain Lobes Cont’d• Somatosensory cortex –
area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes the body’s sensations
• Your somatosensory cortex devotes more brain tissue to areas of your body that are more sensitive to touch
• Ex. Fingertips vs. Arms
Broca’s Area
• This is located in the Frontal Lobe, on the left-hand side
• It is involved with expressive language – If Broca’s area has damage, a person will be able
to form ideas, but not communicate them with speech
– Strokes can lead to this damage
Wernicke’s Area
• This is also located in the left-hand side of the brain, but in the temporal lobe
• This helps control receptive language– Your ability to understand what someone says, all
language comprehension
Brain Plasticity
• This is the ability for the tissue of the brain to assume new functions
• If an area of the brain is damaged, other areas of the brain can reorganize to assume the responsibility of the damaged area.
• More plastic in younger years.