Cortical Organization and Functions Module 2

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Questions and Answers

What type of representation in the auditory cortex maps different sound frequencies?

Spatial representation

Tonotopic representation (correct)

Chronotopic representation

Magnetotopic representation

What is the role of the inferior colliculus in the auditory pathway?

Identifying pitch of sound

Filtering out background noise

Transmitting sound to the auditory cortex

Orienting to sound location (correct)

Which area in the thalamus projects to the primary auditory cortex and is responsible for identifying sounds?

Ventral medial geniculate nucleus (correct)

Lateral geniculate nucleus

Dorsal medial geniculate nucleus

Anterior medial geniculate nucleus

What does nociception primarily refer to?

The perception of pain Signup and view all the answers

What type of receptors are involved in haptic perception?

Somatosensory receptors Signup and view all the answers

Which structure integrates auditory and visual information?

Superior colliculus Signup and view all the answers

What type of projection do the spinal-cord neurons responsible for pain and temperature signals have?

Both ipsilateral and contralateral projections Signup and view all the answers

What chemical do nociceptors secrete when damaged or irritated?

Peptides Signup and view all the answers

What is referred pain?

Pain felt in the body surface but originating from internal organs. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'hapsis' refer to?

The ability to perceive touch and pressure. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of proprioceptors?

To sense the stretch of muscles and tendons. Signup and view all the answers

Which two major somatosensory pathways extend from the spinal cord to the brain?

Anterior and posterior spinothalamic tracts. Signup and view all the answers

What happens in Brown-Séquard syndrome?

Loss of hapsis and proprioception unilaterally on the side of injury. Signup and view all the answers

What type of adaptation do nociception pathways exhibit?

Slow adaptation. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes deafferentation as described in John Rothwell's study?

Loss of afferent sensory fibers resulting in no touch sensation. Signup and view all the answers

Where do the cell bodies of the neurons in the posterior spinothalamic tract reside?

In the dorsal root ganglia. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does unilateral damage to the posterior roots, brainstem, and thalamus have on sensory modalities?

It affects hapsis, proprioception, and nociception equally. Signup and view all the answers

Which body areas have larger representations in the somatosensory cortex?

The hands and tongue. Signup and view all the answers

What role do the vestibular organs play in the human body?

They help perceive motion and maintain balance. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary disorder associated with Ménière disease?

Vertigo and loss of balance Signup and view all the answers

What fluid is found in the semicircular canals, aiding the detection of head movement?

Endolymph. Signup and view all the answers

Which group is more frequently affected by Ménière disease?

Women Signup and view all the answers

How does the vestibular system interact with the visual system during head movement?

By compensating for head movements to stabilize visual input. Signup and view all the answers

Where are the taste buds located in relation to the bumps on the tongue?

Buried around the bumps Signup and view all the answers

What does vertigo primarily result from?

Dysfunction of the inner ear. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the ability to taste as people age?

It decreases due to reduced taste buds Signup and view all the answers

What activates action potentials in neurons within the vestibular system?

Bending of the cilia on hair cells. Signup and view all the answers

Which cranial nerve is NOT involved in gustatory pathways?

Trochlear nerve Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the outcomes of the vestibular system's information connections in the cerebellum?

It aids in the control of balance and movement recording. Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the insular cortex in relation to taste?

Localizing tastes on the tongue Signup and view all the answers

Which type of food do children generally tolerate poorly?

Spicy foods Signup and view all the answers

Which cranial nerves enter the solitary tract related to taste?

Glossopharyngeal, vagus, and facial nerves Signup and view all the answers

What was found about the size of the corpus callosum in left-handed and ambidextrous individuals compared to right-handed individuals?

It is 11% greater. Signup and view all the answers

What did Eileen Luders and her colleagues conclude about the difference in callosal size?

It is rather small. Signup and view all the answers

How do left-handers generally differ from right-handers in terms of lateralization?

They are less lateralized. Signup and view all the answers

Which portion of the corpus callosum is primarily involved in transferring motor information?

Middle portions. Signup and view all the answers

In left-handed individuals, where is language predominantly represented?

In the left hemisphere 70% of the time. Signup and view all the answers

What did Doreen Kimura find regarding left-handed patients and the incidence of aphasia?

Their incidence was approximately 70% of right-handers. Signup and view all the answers

According to Hécaen, how do familial left-handers differ in cerebral organization?

They have a different pattern of cerebral organization. Signup and view all the answers

What hormonal difference begins at about 7 weeks’ gestation in males, affecting behavioral differences?

Testosterone is produced. Signup and view all the answers

What correlation did Bonnie Auyeung and her colleagues find regarding fetal testosterone and play?

Fetal testosterone correlates with sexually dimorphic play in both girls and boys. Signup and view all the answers

Which cognitive behavior class did Kimura find sex differences in?

Motor skills Signup and view all the answers

In studies of the planum temporale, what was found regarding asymmetry?

Males show greater left-sided asymmetry than females. Signup and view all the answers

What was a key finding regarding the Sylvian fissure from the study by Witelson and Kigar?

Men have a larger horizontal component in the Sylvian fissure than women. Signup and view all the answers

Regarding the planum parietale, what did Jancke et al. observe about asymmetry?

Asymmetry favors the right hemisphere and is larger in men than in women. Signup and view all the answers

In terms of interhemispheric connections, what have studies indicated about women compared to men?

Women have more interhemispheric connections than men. Signup and view all the answers

What relationship did Kulynych and colleagues find between cerebral asymmetry and corpus callosum size in males?

There is a negative correlation between asymmetry and corpus callosum size. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements regarding gender differences in anatomy is incorrect?

Females have less interhemispheric connectivity than males. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Module 2: Cortical Organization and Functions

This module covers the anatomy and functions of sensory systems, particularly the neocortex's role in higher cognitive functions, hemispheric specialization, and individual differences in cerebral asymmetry.
Sensory systems include vision, audition, somatosensation, body senses (somatosensory, vestibular, proprioception), and chemical senses (taste and smell).
Sensations are physical changes in sensory systems stimulated by external factors, while perception is our brain's interpretation of those sensations.
The neocortex is a six-layered structure crucial for higher-order functions.
Neural mechanisms underpin perception and attention.
Hemispheric specialization and lateralization refer to the different functions performed by each brain hemisphere.
The left hemisphere is pivotal in language processing.
Individual differences in cerebral asymmetry are influenced by factors like handedness, sex, and genetics.
Clinical implications and disorders linked to atypical cerebral asymmetry are discussed.
Visual perception involves the brain converting sensory signals into meaningful experiences
Visual illusions demonstrate the brain's role in creating perception.
The different sensory areas are represented topographically in the brain.
The organization and processes of mammalian sensory systems (squirrel, cat, owl monkey, and rhesus monkey) are diagrammed.
Visual systems comprise photoreceptors like cones and rods.
Cones are responsible for color vision in higher light levels (photopic vision).
Rods facilitate scotopic vision (low light levels).
The fovea, a central part of the retina, has a high cone density for sharp vision.
The optic nerve transmits visual information to the brain.
The optic chiasm is where optic nerves from each eye cross.
Visual information processing involves two main pathways (geniculostriate and tectopulvinar) reaching the visual cortex.
The geniculostriate pathway is responsible for pattern, color, and motion recognition, including conscious visual functions.
The tectopulvinar pathway facilitates detecting spatial locations and movements of visual stimuli.
The auditory system converts pressure waves into perceptions of sound.
Sound is defined by its frequency (pitch), amplitude (loudness), and complexity (timbre).
The ear's anatomy consists of the outer ear (pinna, ear canal), middle ear (eardrum, ossicles), and inner ear (cochlea).
The middle ear amplifies sound waves to enable the inner ear to detect them.
The cochlea has specialized sensory hair cells to transduce mechanical signals into electrical signals.
The place representation in auditory cortex reflects sound frequency.
Cochlear implants directly stimulate the basilar membrane regions, thus facilitating sound perception.
Auditory pathways include nuclei in the hindbrain and midbrain, with the brain hemispheres receiving information from each ear.
The superior and inferior colliculi are parts of the midbrain significantly involved in integrating auditory and visual information concerning the location of sound.
Multiple nuclei relay sensory information to the auditory cortex across different brain regions.
The somatosensory system detects body touch, pain, temperature, proprioception (body position), and movement.
Nociceptors detect pain, temperature, and itch.
Tactile receptors (hapsis) enable fine touch.
Proprioceptors sense body position and movement.
Somatosensory pathways (anterior and posterior spinothalamic tracts) carry information from sensory neurons to the brain.
The brain regions responsive to the various parts of the body form a somatosensory homunculus.
The vestibular system is responsible for detecting body movement and balance.
Taste buds are the receptors for taste sensation.
Taste and smell heavily depend on chemical factors in saliva and food.
Taste and smell receptors are found in various areas of the body
The olfactory system detects odours.
Olfactory receptors are located in the nasal cavity.
They project to the olfactory bulbs, and further to the olfactory cortex, hypothalamus, and amygdala, amongst other brain areas.
Odors require passing through mucus to reach receptors.
Olfactory epithelia vary across species.
Pheromones are biochemicals released by an animal that affect another animal's behaviour or physiology.
The brain uses sensory information in conjunction with other factors, such as memories, emotions, and experiences, to form perceptions, which are different from sensations.
Sensory mixing (synesthesia) is the perceptual mixing of sensations from different sensory modalities.
The cortex has a hierarchical organization of function, with specific areas responsible for various functions.
The cortex has different levels of function, with lower ones supporting, basic behaviours, and higher ones supporting more advanced behaviors.
Animals that lack higher brain regions, but not their midbrain, exhibit automatic motor skills, like grooming, chewing, and lapping water.
The diencephalon, containing the thalamus and hypothalamus, regulates motivation and emotional responses.
The basal ganglia are involved in the initiation and execution of specific motor actions.
The neocortex is organized into distinct structural layers.
The prefrontal cortex is an essential part of the neocortex involved in many higher functions.
Attention networks like the ventral and dorsal networks have unique roles in different aspects of attending in individuals.