How the Brain Works The Facts Visually Explained by DK (z-lib.org)

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN

The Cortex

A functional map

The cortex is a multilayered coating of neurons,

with their cell bodies at the top. Neuroscientists divide

it into areas where the cells appear to work together to

perform a particular function. There are different ways

to reveal this information: through the location of brain

damage linked to the loss of a brain function; tracking

the connections between cells; and through scans of

live brain activity.

The Cortex

The cortex is the thin outer layer that forms the

brain’s visible surface. It has several important

functions, including handling sensory data and

language processing. It also works to generate

our conscious experience of the world.

WHAT IS

PHRENOLOGY?

A 19th-century

pseudoscience, in which the

shape of the head was

linked to brain structure,

specific abilities, and

personality.

Inferior temporal gyrus

is involved in face

Cingulate gyrus is fused to recognition

limbic area (pp.38–39)

Areas related to

conscious emotional

responses and

decision-making

located in

orbitofrontal cortex

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Folds and grooves

The cerebral cortex is a feature of

all mammal brains, but the human

brain is distinctive because of its

highly folded appearance. The

many folds increase the total

surface area of the cortex, thereby

providing more room for larger

cortical areas. The groove in a fold

is called a sulcus, and the ridge is

called a gyrus. Every human brain

has the same pattern of gyri and

sulci, which neuroscientists

employ to describe specific

locations in the cortex.

Lobe divisions

The boundaries between the lobes of the

cerebral cortex are set by deep grooves. The

frontal lobe meets the parietal lobe at the

central sulcus, while the temporal lobe starts

next to a sulcus called the lateral fissure.

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Sulcus

Gyrus

KEY

Memory Emotion

Audition Body sensation

Motor Gustation

Vision

Cognition

Olfaction

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