Cerebral Cortex

Question 1

what are the divisions of the cerebral cortex, and of the 3 which is most prevalent in humans

Answer 1

neocortex - 95 % in humans
paleocortex
archicortex

Question 2

how many layers are in each division of the cerebral cortex

Answer 2

neocortex - 6
paleocortex - 3
archicortex - 3

Question 3

what notable structure resides in the paleocortex in humans

Answer 3

primary olfactory cortex

Question 4

what notable structure resides in the archicortex in humans

Answer 4

hippocampus

Question 5

what is the most prevalent type of neuron in the cerebral cortex

Answer 5

pyramidal cell

Question 6

the pyramidal cell is the principal projection neuron of the cortex, is it an inhibitory or excitatory projection

Answer 6

excitatory using glutamate neurotransmitter

Question 7

what are dendritic spines

Answer 7

sites of excitatory synapses on pyramidal cell/neurons

Question 8

dendritic spines can be modified as a result of learning, what does this mean ?

Answer 8

Minor changes in spine configuration lead to a better synapse efficiency
poor spine development is reason for some forms of intellectual disability

Question 9

what are nonpyramidal cells ?

Answer 9

other cortical cell/neurons, make inhibitory synapses w/ GABA neurotransmitter

Question 10

of the 2 types of neocortical neurons, which has long axons and which has short axons

Answer 10

pyramidal cell - long axons

nonpyramidal - short axons

Question 11

what are the principal interneurons of the cortex

Answer 11

nonpyramidal cells

Question 12

which layer of the neocortex would contain the most interneurons ?

Answer 12

granular layer

Question 13

what is Focal Cortical Dysplasia

Answer 13

Where the arrangement of horizontal cortical layers is NOT organized during development
-results in seizures

Question 14

in the primary sensory areas of the cortex, would it be composed of granular or aganular cortex

Answer 14

granular, b/c lots of internerurons (non-pyramidal cells)

Question 15

in the primary motor cortex, would you find granular or agranular cortical regions

Answer 15

aganular. b/c have long axon projections of pyramidal cells

Question 16

which is thicker in apperance, granular or agranular regions of the cortex ? Why ?

Answer 16

Agranular, b/c there are long projections (pyramidal cells)

Question 17

What specific Brodmann area is known as the primary motor cortex

Answer 17

precentral gyrus (area 4)

Question 18

what specific Broddmann are is the primary somatosensensory cortex

Answer 18

postcentral gyrus (area 3,1,2)

Question 19

which is more constant among individuals, the total cortical volume, or specific size of Brodmann areas

Answer 19

total cortical volume very constant

Brodmann areas can vary b/w people

Question 20

who was the famous patient who got a rod blown through his head causing left prefrontal lobe damage

Answer 20

Phineas Gage

Question 21

what are the 4 neocortical regions in reference to function

Answer 21

• primary sensory
• primary motor
• association
• limbic

Question 22

the sensory area of the cortex has a topographical organization, but that map has areas that are disproportionately large ? what are these areas and why are they so big ?

Answer 22

fingers and fovea

highly sensitive areas=larger cortex area*

Question 23

in what lobe of the cortex is the primary somatosensory cortex found in

Answer 23

parietal lobe

Question 24

what part of the parietal lobe is involved with language comprehension

Answer 24

inferior left parietal lobule

Question 25

where is the primary visual cortex found in the cortex

Answer 25

banks of calcarine sulcus of the occipital lobe

Question 26

bilateral injury to the inferior occipital lobe would result in _______ whereas bilateral injury to the occipital-temporal junction would result in _______

Answer 26

- color blindness | - motion blindness

Question 27

what lobe is the primary auditory cortex located

Answer 27

temporal lobe

Question 28

where is Wernike's area on the cortex and what is its function ?

Answer 28

posterior L superior temporal gyrus | -language comprehension

Question 29

where is the gustatory cortex located ?

Answer 29

frontal lobe and insula

Question 30

where is the vestibular cortex located ?

Answer 30

superior temporal gyrus and post. insula

Question 31

the frontal lobe of the neocortex is predominantly involved w/_________ function

Answer 31

motor

Question 32

where is Broca's area and what is its function?

Answer 32

inferior L frontal lobe (frontal gyrus) | -production of spoken and written language

Question 33

what is the main function of the prefrontal cortex

Answer 33

executive functions like personality, foresight and insight

Question 34

What is the function of the association areas

Answer 34

mediate higher mental functions like language, art, music

Question 35

what are the 2 types of association areas

Answer 35

unimodal association areas | multimodal association areas

Question 36

what is the function of unimodal association areas, and where are these areas located

Answer 36

elaborating on primary visual areas | -adjacent to visual area on occipital lobe

Question 37

what is the function of multimodal association areas

Answer 37

high level intellectual functions | -inferior parietal lobule, temporal, and frontal lobes

Question 38

what is the definition of a dominant hemisphere, and what is the dominant hemisphere in most people ?

Answer 38

Hemisphere that produces/comprehends language | -usually Left

Question 39

Language areas usually border the Left __________ ?

Answer 39

lateral sulcus

Question 40

why does the lateral sulcus extend further posteriorly on the left hemisphere of the cortex vs. the right

Answer 40

B/c planum temporale is larger on the left

Question 41

how do the language areas that border the left lateral sulcus stimulate the motor cortex ?

Answer 41

Stimulate mouth to produce involuntary grunts

Question 42

what are the two perisylvian language areas and where are they ?

Answer 42

Broca's area - L inferior frontal gyrus (production) | Wernike's area - posterior L superior temporal gyrus (comprehension)

Question 43

what is aphasia and what are the two types

Answer 43

Inability to use language - Fluent - Nonfluent

Question 44

Damage to Broca's area would result in what type of apahasia

Answer 44

Nonfluent aphasia | -difficult to produce word, make few words and get by w/phrases

Question 45

damage to Wernike's area would result in what type of aphasia ?

Answer 45

Fluent aphasia -can't comprehend language, but can talk and write (known as word salad)

Question 46

what is the name of the area that connects Broca's and Wernike's areas

Answer 46

Arcuate fasciculus

Question 47

What aspects of language are controlled in the Right hemisphere

Answer 47

prosody - emotional, rhythmical, emotional tone of words | **allow to tell diff. b/w question and statement**

Question 48

what is agnosia

Answer 48

inability to recognizes specific things (faces, people, sounds, etc)

Question 49

damage to what area of the cortex could cause agnosias ?

Answer 49

damage to unimodal association areas

Question 50

what part of the right hemisphere produces prosody, what part comprehends prosody ?

Answer 50

Production - R inferior frontal gyrus Comprehend - R posterior superior temporal gyrus ***Just like Left side w/Broca and wernike areas***

Question 51

what part of the cortex would be injured in a patient w/contralateral neglect

Answer 51

R parietal lobe damage

Question 52

what is apraxias, and damage to where at in the cortex could result in this

Answer 52

specific "lack of actions" | -result from damage to L parietal lobe

Question 53

the prefrontal cortex controls executive functions, and is heavily interconnected to what thalamic nuclei

Answer 53

dorsomedial nucleus

Question 54

what are the 2 broad types of the prefrontal cortex

Answer 54

dorsolateral | ventromedial

Question 55

what is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex involved in

Answer 55

Involved in working memory | -interconnected w/parietal association areas

Question 56

damage to the ventromedial aspect of the prefrontal cortex would result in ?

Answer 56

- compulsive behavior - inability to supress inappropriate responses/emotions * **What phineas Gage had ***

Question 57

what is the name of the structure that allows the R and L hemispheres to communicate with eachother

Answer 57

commissures

Question 58

what is the largest commisure in the brain

Answer 58

corpus callosum | -main connection b/w hemispheres

Question 59

what does the anterior commissure connect

Answer 59

interconnects temporal lobes

Question 60

there are only 2 places in the brain that do NOT connect R and L hemispheres via the corpus callosum, what are they ?

Answer 60

- Hand area | - primary visual cortex

Question 61

Commissures are composed of A) white matter or B)grey matter

Answer 61

white matter

Question 62

what is alexia w/o agraphia, and what causes this ?

Answer 62

ability to write, but can NOT read | -caused by disconnection syndromes (hemispheres cant communicate)

Question 63

what are association bundles

Answer 63

long white matter tracts that interconnect ares of ONE hemisphere ***DO NOT CROSS midline ***