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The Cerebral Cortex This is the outer covering of the brain, the one with all the bumps (gryi or the singular gyrus) and folds (sulci or the singular sulcus). The cortex has a large number of connections 75% in total. The other 25% of connections link to other brain regions, such as the nervous system. Six layers of nerve cells and the pathways connecting these layers comprise the cerebral cortex. Scientists subdivide the cerebral cortex into four lobes:
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There are two brain hemispheres, the left and right brain hemispheres. Hence, scientists say that there are actually eight lobes, referring, for example, to the lobes as plural (two frontal lobes, two parietal lobes, etc.) Scientists localize some functions to particular lobes. For instance, speech production or generation is generally thought to occur in the left frontal lobe. However, molecular and
cellular brain research from the last decade has shown that many particular functions are actually more widespread in one or more brain lobes or regions, and that neuronal circuits connect these distributed functional areas.
center, recognition of language sounds takes place. On the right side, recognition of non-verbal sounds such as tone, rhythm, and emotion takes place. Parts of the inferior temporal lobes contribute to the recognition of specific visual stimuli, such as faces, objects, and animals. Scientists think that the inferior temporal lobes store memories in a highly organized way.
The midbrain. The midbrains structures are involved with the processing of auditory and visual reflexes, such as turning the head toward a sound or moving the eyes toward a visual stimulus. These structures are called the tectum or colliculi. The hindbrain. This area of the brain contains structures outside of the cerebral cortex: the pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum. The spinal cord becomes the medulla oblongata as it makes its way into the cranium. This main nervous system connector carries messages between the spinal cord and brain. It also controls basic bodily functions such as respiration, heart rate, and digestive activities. The pons lies right above the medulla, relaying signals from the medulla to the brain. It also links the cerebellum to the rest of the brain. The cerebellum lies on the dorsal (back) part of the brainstem at about ear level. This structure controls balance, contributes to the learning of coordinated movements, and processes sensory information used by motor systems