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=====Cerebral Cortex=====
 
=====Cerebral Cortex=====
The outer layers of the cerebrum are made up of grey matter. Grey matter is formed by neurons and their unmyelinated fibres. The white matter below the grey matter of the cortex is formed predominantly by myelinated axons (myelin is white in appearance). The surface of the cerebral cortex is folded; more than two thirds of the surface is within the grooves or ''"sulci"''. The cerebral cortex is connected to structures such as the thalamus and the basal ganglia, sending information to them along ''efferent'' connections and receiving information from them via ''afferent'' connections. Most sensory information is routed to the cerebral cortex via the thalamus. The cortex is commonly described as comprising three parts; sensory, motor and association areas.
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This cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, divided by the '''median fissure''' into two cerebral hemispheres. The cerebral hemispheres are connected by the '''corpus callosum'''. The outer layers of the cerebrum are made up of grey matter. Grey matter is formed by neurons and their unmyelinated fibres. The white matter below the grey matter of the cortex is formed predominantly by myelinated axons (myelin is white in appearance). The surface of the cerebral cortex is folded, the numerous folds are known as '''gyri''' which greatly increase the surface area. Grooves between these gyri are known as '''sulci'''; more than two thirds of the surface is within sulci. The cerebral cortex is connected to structures such as the thalamus and the basal ganglia, sending information to them along ''efferent'' connections and receiving information from them via ''afferent'' connections. Most sensory information is routed to the cerebral cortex via the thalamus. The cortex is commonly described as comprising three parts; sensory, motor and association areas.
    
The '''sensory areas''' receive and process information from the senses. Inputs from the thalamus are called ''primary sensory areas''. Vision, hearing, and touch are processed by the primary visual cortex, primary auditory cortex and primary somatosensory cortex respectively. The two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex receive information from the opposite (contralateral) side of the body. There are a number of anatomical areas of the brain responsible for organising this sensory information. The ''parietal lobe'' is located within the dorsocaudal aspect of the cortex. The ''temporal lobes'' are located laterally and the ''occipital lobes'' are located in the caudal most aspect of the cortex. The ''frontal lobe'' or ''prefrontal association complex'' is involved in planning actions and movement.
 
The '''sensory areas''' receive and process information from the senses. Inputs from the thalamus are called ''primary sensory areas''. Vision, hearing, and touch are processed by the primary visual cortex, primary auditory cortex and primary somatosensory cortex respectively. The two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex receive information from the opposite (contralateral) side of the body. There are a number of anatomical areas of the brain responsible for organising this sensory information. The ''parietal lobe'' is located within the dorsocaudal aspect of the cortex. The ''temporal lobes'' are located laterally and the ''occipital lobes'' are located in the caudal most aspect of the cortex. The ''frontal lobe'' or ''prefrontal association complex'' is involved in planning actions and movement.
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