higher brain functioning

Question 1

language areas

Answer 1

• areas of cerebral cortex located in L hemisphere
• wernicke’s area: receives input from auditory, visual, & somatosensory cortices ➔ language comprehension
  * located ventral & posterior to auditory cortex
• broca’s area: sends output to motor areas ➔ speech production

Question 2

prefrontal association areas

Answer 2

• aka anterior association area or prefrontal cortex
• planning, personality, & social behavior
• phineas gage: railroad iron pierced head ➞ bilateral frontal destruction
  
  • post-traumatic personality change
  • remained conscious but resulted in:
    
    • socially unacceptable behavior
    • inability to focus
    • lack of planning

Question 3

limbic system

Answer 3

• system of cortical & subcortical structures that form loosely defined ring around thalamus
• involved in emotion, motivation, learning, & memory
• amygdala: collection of nuclei located at anterior end of hippocampus
  
  • receives input from & provides output to many subcortical & cortical structures
  • involved in regulation of emotional responses ➔ fear
• hippocampus: elongated cortical structure located within temporal lobe
  
  • anatomically connected w/ other parts of the limbic system & cerebral cortex
  • involved in memory formation, spacial guidance of behavior & epileptic activity
  • patient HM:
    
    • above avg intelligence, normal working memory, intact procedural memory
    • experienced total anterograde amnesia ➔ couldn’t form long-term memories
    • displayed retrograde amnesia ➔ loss of old memories, but only up until trauma

Question 4

amygdala: main fx

Answer 4

regulation of emotional responses

• especially fear & anxiety
• part of limbic system

Question 5

hippocampus: main fx

Answer 5

memory formation, spatial guidance of behavior & epileptic activity
* declarative memories involving conscious recall
* semantic memories: memories of facts
* episodic memories: memories of events
* part of limbic system
* patient HM
* removed hippocampus to treat seizures ➔ experienced total anterograde amnesia ➔ couldn’t form long-term memories
* above avg intelligence, normal working memory, intact procedural memory
* also displayed retrograde amnesia ➔ loss of old memories, but only up until trauma