cerebrum

• Receives information about taste.
• The cerebrum is the largest component of brain and controls higher mental functions such as conscious thought and intellectual functions.
• The right side of the visual cortex goes to the left cerebral hemisphere and vice versa.
• The cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres which are connected by corpus callosum.
• The majority of the cerebrum receives somatic sensory information and exerts voluntary control over motor neurons.
• The sensory input and the motor commands are given by the cerebrum.
• The cerebrum is composed of gray matter, a thin outer layer known as cerebral cortex, and white matter, an inner layer containing nerve fibers.
• The cerebral cortex contains neuron cell bodies which contain Nissl bodies and the Nissl body gives gray colour to the cell.
• The cerebral cortex contains numerous folds and depressions, with gyri being elevated ridges that increase surface area and sulci being shallow depressions that help us differentiate between the lobes.
• Central sulcus separates frontal lobe and parietal lobe, with precentral gyrus (anterior) and postcentral gyrus (posterior) being the gyri next to central sulcus.
• Lateral sulcus separates frontal lobe and temporal lobe, and parieto-occipital sulcus separates parietal lobe and occipital lobe.
• Each hemisphere of the cerebrum receives sensory info from opposite side of body and sends motor commands to opposite side of body.
• The cerebrum has specific areas with specific functions, known as functional areas.
• Motor and sensory cortices are the main functional areas of the cerebrum, dealing with motor commands and sensory info.
• Prefrontal cortex coordinates information from sensory association areas of entire cortex and performs abstract intellectual activities.
• Somatic motor association area, also known as premotor cortex, coordinates learned movements for the primary motor cortex.
• Somatic sensory association area interprets sensory information and recognizes any kind of touch, regardless of how light the touch is.
• Higher order centers, known as integrative centers, receive information from many association areas and direct/control complex motor or analytical activities.
• Association areas and higher order centres are other functional areas of the cerebrum.
• Damage to the speech center results in difficulty with speech.
• Damage to the prefrontal cortex can cause problems in estimating time between the events.
• Rest of the prefrontal cortex, visual cortex is present on both hemispheres.
• Association areas are located adjacent to sensory, motor areas and interpret the incoming data, coordinating a motor response.
• General interpretive area, also known as Wernicke’s area, receives information from all sensory association areas and plays a crucial role in our personality by integrating sensory information and coordinating access to complex/various visual and auditory memories.
• Association areas for vision and hearing, known as visual association area and auditory association area, are also present in the brain.
• Damage to the general interpretive area results in inability to interpret what is read or heard.
• Speech center, also known as Broca’s area, is connected to the general interpretive area in the same hemisphere and coordinates all vocalization functions.
• Non-dominant hemisphere, there is spatial visualisation and analysis.
• Writing is taken of by the left cerebral hemisphere, same as speech center and GIA (language and mathematical calculations).
• Hemispheric lateralization is a feature of the cerebrum.
• Primary motor cortex, located in precentral gyrus of frontal lobe, directs voluntary movements such as lifting up your hand to pick up a pen.
• Primary sensory cortex, located in postcentral gyrus of parietal lobe, receives somatic sensory information such as touch, pressure, pain, temperature.
• Special sensory cortices include visual cortex (occipital lobe) which receives visual information, auditory cortex (temporal lobe) which receives information about hearing, olfactory cortex (temporal lobe) which receives information about smell, and gustatory cortex (frontal lobe) which receives information about taste.