4.2 The Cerebral Cortex

Question 0

The cells of the cerebral cortex are ____ matter, and their axons extended inward are ____ matter.

Answer 0

gray : white

Question 1

The most prominent part of the mammalian brain is the ____ ____, consisting of the cellular layers on the outer surface of the cerebral hemispheres.

Answer 1

cerebral cortex

Question 2

Neurons in each hemisphere communicate with neurons in the corresponding part of the other hemisphere through two bundles of axons, the ____ ____ and the smaller ____ ____. Several other commissures (pathways across the midline) link subcortical structures.

Answer 2

corpus callosum : anterior commissure

Question 3

This cerebral cortex constitutes a higher percentage of the brain in ____ – monkeys, apes, and humans – than in other species of comparable size.

Answer 3

primates

Question 4

In humans and most other mammals, the cerebral cortex contains up to six distinct ____, layers of cell bodies that are parallel to the surface of the cortex and separated from each other by layers of fibres.

Answer 4

laminae

Question 5

The cells of the cortex also organised into ____ of cells perpendicular to the laminae. The cells within a given column have similar properties to one another.

Answer 5

columns

Question 6

The ____ ____, at the posterior (caudal) end of the cortex, is the main target for visual information.

Answer 6

occipital lobe

Question 7

The posterior pole of the occipital lobe is known as the ____ ____ ____, or striate cortex, because of its striped appearance in cross-section. Destruction of any part of the striate cortex causes cortical blindness in the related part of the visual field.

Answer 7

primary visual cortex

Question 8

A person with ____ ____ has normal eyes and pupillary reflexes, but no conscious visual perception and no visual imagery (not even in dreams).

Answer 8

cortical blindness

Question 9

In short, the eyes provide the ____ and the visual cortex provides the ____.

Answer 9

stimulus : experience

Question 10

The ____ ____ lies between the occipital lobe in the central sulcus, one of the deepest grooves on the surface of the cortex.

Answer 10

parietal lobe

Question 11

The area just posterior to the central sulcus, the postcentral gyrus, or primary ____ cortex, receives sensations from touch receptors, muscle-stretch receptors, and joint receptors.

Answer 11

somatosensory

Question 12

The ____ ____ includes four bands of cells parallel to the central sulcus. Two of the bands receive mostly light-touch information, one receives deep-pressure information, and one receives a combination of both.

Answer 12

postcentral gyrus

Question 13

The ____ ____ is the lateral portion of each hemisphere, near the temples. It is the primary cortical target for auditory information.

Answer 13

temporal lobe

Question 14

The human temporal lobe – in most cases, the left temporal lobe – is essential for understanding ____ ____.

Answer 14

spoken language

Question 15

The temporal lobe also contributes to complex aspects of vision, including ____ of movement and ____ of faces.

Answer 15

perception : recognition

Question 16

The temporal lobes are also important for ____ and ____ behaviours.

Answer 16

emotional and motivational

Question 17

The ____ ____, containing the primary motor cortex and the prefrontal cortex, extends from the central sulcus to the anterior limit of the brain.

Answer 17

frontal lobe

Question 18

The posterior portion of the frontal lobe just anterior to the central sulcus, the ____ ____, is specialised for the control of fine movements, such as moving one finger at a time.

Answer 18

precentral gyrus

Question 19

Separate areas of the precentral gyrus are responsible for different parts of the body, mostly on the contralateral (opposite) side but also slight control of ipsilateral (same) side. It is also known as the ____ ____ ____.

Answer 19

primary motor cortex

Question 20

The most anterior portion of the frontal lobe is the ____ ____. In general, the larger the species cerebral cortex, the higher percentage of the prefrontal cortex it occupies.

Answer 20

prefrontal cortex

Question 21

Different parts of the prefrontal cortex, even a few millimetres apart from one another, perform significantly ____ functions.

Answer 21

different

Question 22

One major function of the prefrontal cortex is ____ ____, the ability to remember recent events, such as where you parked your car or what you were talking about before being interrupted.

Answer 22

working memory

Question 23

People with damage to the prefrontal cortex have trouble on the ____-____ task, in which they see or hear something, and then have to respond to it after a delay.

Answer 23

delayed-response

Question 24

The prefrontal cortex is also important for making ____ and ____ movements, especially for behaviours that depend on the context.

Answer 24

decisions : planning

Question 25

The question of our various brain areas produce a perception of a single object is known as the ____ ____, or large-scale integration problem.

Answer 25

binding problem

Question 26

Binding depends on perceiving two or more aspects of the stimulus as coming from approximately the same ____. People with damage to the parietal cortex have trouble locating objects in space – that is, they are not sure where anything is – and they often fail to bind objects.

Answer 26

location