The Cerebral Cortex - Higher Human Bio

The Brain

The brain controls complex behaviour. It is made of billions of interconnections and has different regions that carry out different functions.

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There are four main areas in the brain

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​Controls intelligence, personality, conscious thought, high level functions (language, verbal memory).

​Controls balance, co-ordination and movement of muscular activity.

​Controls unconscious activities such as heart rate and breathing rate

​Regulating centre for temperature and water balance within the body

The cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the cerebrum. It is the centre of conscious thought. It also recalls memories and alters behaviour in the light of experience.

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​There is localisation of brain functions in the cerebral cortex, which has many distinct regions. It contains sensory areas, motor areas and association areas involved in language processing, personality, imagination and intelligence.

​The corpus callosum

The cerebrum has two distinct hemispheres - the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere.

Information is passed between the two hemispheres of the brain through an area called the corpus callosum which connects both hemispheres.

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​Information from one side of the body is processed by the opposite side of the cerebrum. For example, the left cerebral hemisphere processes information from the right side of the body

Investigating brain activity

Modern science has allowed scientists to discover how different parts of the brain function. Neuroscientists have been able to map various brain regions to particular functions by studying patients with brain damage, electrically stimulating different parts of the brain and using MRI scanning techniques.

Anatomy and Physiology | The Brain

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Brain damage

Scientists have stimulated different parts of the brain with a weak electrical current and asked patients to describe what they experienced. If the motor area is stimulated. the patient makes an involuntary movement. If the visual area is stimulated, they may see a flash of colour. EEG's (Electroencephalograms) can be created and studied, to observe the electrical activity in the brain.

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MRI and FMRI - Brain scans

Modern imaging methos such as MRI (Medical Resonance Imaging) scans, use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to show details of brain structure. An MRI scan builds up a three dimensional picture of the anatomy of the brain.

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​FMRI scans

FMRI (Functional Magentic Resonance Imaging) is a technique that maps activity in the brain. Patients are given different sensory stimuli or asked to perform various tasks. By looking at the can, scientists can see which parts of the brain are active when the task is carried out.

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