THE BRAIN

Cerebral Cortex The cerebral cortex is the

layer (about 1/10 inch thick) of the brain consisting of folded bulges

It encompasses about two-thirds of the brain mass and lies over and around most of the structures of the brain.

Most of the actual information processing in the brain takes place in the cerebral cortex.

Hemispheres The cerebral cortex is divided into right and left

hemispheres.

The two hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum.

Lobes

The cerebral cortex is divided

into lobes

that each have a specific

function.

1. FRONTAL LOBE

THE FRONTAL LOBE Largest of the brain’s structures

Involved in a number of functions (movement, attention, planning, social skills, abstract thinking, memory and some aspects of personality)

Interesting case study #1:

Phineas Gage

In the frontal lobe…. Motor cortex: initiates

voluntary movement

The motor cortex located on the left side of the brain controls movement on the right side of the body.

Motor Cortex Cells at the top controls

muscles at the bottom of the body

Cells at the bottom controls muscles at the top of the body

Broca’s Area Key substructure in the

left frontal lobe at the base of the motor cortex.

Involved mainly in production of spoken and written language and language processing.

Damage causes Broca’s aphasia (difficulty speaking, putting together grammatical sentences and articulating words, yet comprehending language)

Interesting Case Study #2

1960s – Sperry worked with split brain patients (lesion in corpus callosum)

Using the left hemisphere, split-brain patients could produce the name of objects held in the right hand without difficulty.

If they held the same object in the left hand (controlled by the right hemisphere), the object could not be named.