Understanding the Cerebral Cortex and Brain Lobes

Overview

• Focus on the cerebrum, largest part of the brain.
• Cerebrum divided into right and left hemispheres, connected by corpus callosum.
• Cerebrum functions include executive functioning, motor, and sensory components.
• Brain surface area increased by gyri (peaks) and sulci (grooves).

Structural Overview

• Cerebrum contains:
  • Cerebral Cortex (outer layer of gray matter)
  • White Matter (inner layer)
• Cerebral Cortex divided into four main lobes:
  • Frontal Lobe
  • Parietal Lobe
  • Occipital Lobe
  • Temporal Lobe

Frontal Lobe

• Location: Front of the brain; separated by central sulcus (frontal-parietal) and lateral sulcus (frontal-temporal).
• Functions:
  • Mental Actions: Executive functioning (planning, problem-solving, motivation, judgment, decision-making, impulse control, social behavior, personality, memory, learning, reward, attention).
  • Physical Actions: Motor control (voluntary muscle movements, eye movements, speech production).
• Key Areas:
  • Precentral Gyrus: Primary motor cortex (initiates voluntary muscle movements).
  • Motor Association Cortex: Planning and coordination of movement (includes pre-motor cortex and supplementary motor cortex).
  • Frontal Eye Field: Voluntary eye movements.
  • Prefrontal Cortex: Executive functions, behavior, personality, memory, and learning.
  • Broca's Area: Speech production (usually in the dominant hemisphere).

Parietal Lobe

• Location: Behind frontal lobe; boundaries include central sulcus, lateral sulcus, parieto-occipital sulcus.
• Functions: "Somatosensory"
  • Awareness of somatic sensation: Touch, pain, temperature, pressure, vibration.
  • Proprioception: Spatial and body awareness.
• Key Areas:
  • Postcentral Gyrus: Primary somatosensory cortex (conscious awareness of somatic sensations).
  • Somatosensory Association Cortex: Processes and analyzes somatic stimuli.
  • Posterior Association Area: Processes somatosensory, visual, and auditory stimuli for spatial awareness.

Occipital Lobe

• Location: Back of the brain; boundaries include parieto-occipital sulcus, preoccipital notch.
• Functions: "Vision"
  • Visual Stimuli Processing: Awareness, analysis, memory comparison.
• Key Areas:
  • Primary Visual Cortex: Conscious awareness of visual stimuli.
  • Visual Association Cortex: Processing and analyzing visual information.

Temporal Lobe

• Location: Side of the brain; separated by lateral sulcus, preoccipital notch.
• Functions: "Auditory"
  • Auditory Stimuli Awareness: Hearing different pitches/frequencies.
  • Smell and Taste
• Key Areas:
  • Primary Auditory Cortex: Awareness of auditory stimuli.
  • Auditory Association Cortex: Processing and analyzing auditory stimuli.
  • Wernicke's Area: Comprehension of language.
  • Primary Olfactory Cortex: Awareness of smells (located in medial temporal lobe).
  • Olfactory Association Cortex: Processes and analyzes smells.

Insular Cortex (Insula)

• Location: Inside lateral sulcus, between temporal and frontal lobes.
• Functions: Taste, visceral sensation, autonomic control, vestibular information.

Limbic Lobe

• Part of the limbic system, includes cingulate and para-hippocampal gyrus.
• Functions: Learning, memory, emotions, behavior, smell.

Memory Aids

• Frontal Lobe: Think of a car motor for action and executive control.
• Parietal Lobe: Think of "P" for proprioception, pressure, pain, position.
• Occipital Lobe: Think of binoculars for vision.
• Temporal Lobe: Think of tempo for auditory functions.
• Limbic System: Think of love and learning for emotions and memory.