Cerebrum: Essentials
Key Cerebral Anatomical Structures/Regions
- Cerebral cortex
- Outer, cellular gray matter of the brain
- Subcortical white matter
- Dense core of connection fibers (thicker than the cerebral cortex)
- Cerebrospinal fluid
- Assists the meninges in nourishing and supporting the nervous system with essential nutrients and metabolites.
- Brainstem
- Contains cranial nerve nuclei and other essential neuronal populations and fiber tracts
- Cerebellum
- Fundamental for balance and motor coordination
- Cerebral Lobes
- Frontal (superior/anterior)
- Parietal (superior/posterior)
- Temporal (inferior)
- Occipital (posterior)
- Limbic (medial)
- Corpus callosum
- Major white matter pathway
- Hippocampus
- Major memory-processing center
- Amygdala
- Seat of emotional and behavioral processing
- Fissures and Sulci:
- Fissures: alter the contour of the cerebral ventricles (Sylvian fissure)
- Sulci: indent the outer surface of the brain (central sulcus): extends from the apex of the brain to the Sylvian fissure
- Precentral gyrus
- Primary motor cortex which lies anterior to the central sulcus: initiates movement
- [Postcentral gyrus
- Primary sensory cortex which lies posterior to the central sulcus: initial cortical reception site for sensation
- Cingulate gyrus
- Functions in motivation, attention (anteriorly) and learning and memory (posteriorly)
- Parahippocampal gyrus
- Shuttles information into and out of the hippocampus
Cerebrum: Lateral View
Lateral Aspect of the Cerebrum
- Superior/anterior is the frontal lobe; it comprises a large portion of the brain.
- Responsible for cognitive functions, such as language production and organizational skills; motor planning and initiation, and volitional eye movements; thus, the frontal lobe both generates and governs many discrete and important higher level actions.
- Superior/posterior is the parietal lobe.
- Responsible for sensory processing and spatial orientation; it guides us through our environment.
- Inferior is the temporal lobe.
- Responsible for language comprehension and visual identification; it stores visual, auditory, olfactory, and other forms of information.
- Posterior is the occipital lobe.
- Primarily known for visual reception and processing; even a large occipital stroke will mostly only manifest with vision loss because of this area's dedication to vision.
Medial Aspect of the Cerebrum
- Superior/anterior is the frontal lobe.
- Superior/posterior is the parietal lobe.
- Inferior is the temporal lobe.
- And posterior is the occipital lobe.
- Central is the limbic lobe. It is best known for its role in memory, which localizes posteriorly, and emotional processing, which localizes anteriorly.
Lateral Aspect of the Cerebrum
- Superior/anterior is the frontal lobe; it comprises a large portion of the brain.
- Responsible for cognitive functions, such as language production and organizational skills; motor planning and initiation, and volitional eye movements; thus, the frontal lobe both generates and governs many discrete and important higher level actions.
- Superior/posterior is the parietal lobe.
- Responsible for sensory processing and spatial orientation; it guides us through our environment.
- Inferior is the temporal lobe.
- Responsible for language comprehension and visual identification; it stores visual, auditory, olfactory, and other forms of information.
- Posterior is the occipital lobe.
- Primarily known for visual reception and processing; even a large occipital stroke will mostly only manifest with vision loss because of this area's dedication to vision.