Overview of Brain Lobes and Cortex Functions

Nov 17, 2024

Brain Lobes and Cerebral Cortex Overview

Introduction

  • Discussion on the cerebral cortex and its lobes.
  • Focus on four main lobes: Frontal, Temporal, Parietal, Occipital.
  • Brief mention of the Insula (not covered in detail).

Brain Lobes

1. Frontal Lobe

  • Primary Motor Cortex (PMC):
    • Involved in voluntary movement.
    • Controls contralateral sides (e.g., left PMC controls right side).
  • Motor Association Cortex:
    • Includes Premotor and Supplementary Motor Cortex.
    • Planning, sequencing, and execution of movement.
  • Frontal Eye Fields:
    • Involved in voluntary eye movements.
  • Prefrontal Cortex:
    • Functions: memory, learning, personality, behavior, judgment, reasoning, decision making.
  • Broca's Area:
    • Involved in speech production.

2. Temporal Lobe

  • Primary Auditory Cortex:
    • Awareness of sound, pitch, frequency, and localization.
  • Auditory Association Cortex:
    • Analyzes and recognizes sounds, storing them in memory.
  • Wernicke's Area:
    • Comprehension of language (written and spoken).
  • Primary Olfactory Cortex:
    • Awareness and recognition of smell.

3. Parietal Lobe

  • Primary Somatosensory Cortex:
    • Awareness of somatic sensations (fine touch, proprioception, vibration, pressure).
  • Somatosensory Association Cortex:
    • Analyzes and recognizes somatic sensations.
  • Posterior Association Area:
    • Multimodal association area for spatial coordination of stimuli.

4. Occipital Lobe

  • Primary Visual Cortex:
    • Conscious awareness of visual stimuli.
  • Visual Association Cortex:
    • Analyzes visual stimuli (color, movement, angles).

Insula

  • Functions:
    • Awareness of taste and its qualities (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami).
    • Awareness of visceral sensations (GI tract, heart, lungs).
    • Potentially where vestibular cortex is located (sense of movement).

Key Demarcations/Sulci

  • Central Sulcus: Separates frontal and parietal lobes.
  • Lateral Sulcus (Sylvian Fissure): Separates temporal lobe from frontal and parietal lobes.
  • Parieto-Occipital Sulcus: Separates parietal and occipital lobes.
  • Pre-Occipital Notch: Imaginary line separates occipital from temporal.

Conclusion

  • Overviewed cerebral cortex and lobes.
  • Discussed functional areas and their roles.
  • Encouraged further engagement and exploration.