What are the specialized areas of the brain?

What are the specialized areas of the brain?

Areas representing modularity in the brain

• Fusiform face area. One of the most well known examples of functional specialization is the fusiform face area (FFA).
• Visual area V4 and V5.
• Frontal lobes.
• Right and left hemispheres.
• Parahippocampal place area.
• Extrastriate body area.

What are pyramidal cells in the brain?

Pyramidal cells, or pyramidal neurons, are a type of multipolar neuron found in areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Pyramidal neurons are the primary excitation units of the mammalian prefrontal cortex and the corticospinal tract.

Which structure of the brain serves as a site of crossover of pyramids?

In their descent through the lower portion of the medulla (immediately above the junction with the spinal cord), the vast majority (80 to 90 percent) of corticospinal tracts cross, forming the point known as the decussation of the pyramids.

What is the structure of the cerebral hemisphere?

Each cerebral hemisphere divides into four separate lobes by a central sulcus, parieto-occipital sulcus, and lateral fissure. The central sulcus runs posterior-medial to anterior-lateral and separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe.

Why does the brain have specialized areas?

Some parts of it are just specialized to do particular things (like detect shapes, make emotions, move your eyes). In one sense it would be more efficient to have the whole brain be filled with identical cells that are all capable of doing the same thing. Then, if one part got damaged, any other part could compensate.

Why are pyramidal cells important?

Abstract. Pyramidal cells are the most frequent type of neuron in the cortex, suggesting that they are necessary for the processing of external signals and motor control. The general morphology of pyramidal cells is very stereotypical and likely to be the basis of their computational properties.

What is pyramidal system?

The pyramidal tracts are part of the UMN system and are a system of efferent nerve fibers that carry signals from the cerebral cortex to either the brainstem or the spinal cord. It divides into two tracts: the corticospinal tract and the corticobulbar tract.

Are the pyramids in the ventral medulla?

The medullary pyramids are located in the ventral region of the medulla oblongata. The anterior median fissure separates these two crest-shaped structures that run along the length of the medulla oblongata. The corticobulbar and corticospinal pathways are motor fibres found in the medullary pyramids.

Are the pyramids in the medulla?

Two pyramid-shaped swellings are located on the medulla oblongata, on either side of its ventral (front) midline. More commonly referred to together as the brain stem, the pyramids are specifically located between the anterolateral sulcus and the anterior median fissure of the medulla.

What structure connects cerebral hemispheres?

the corpus callosum
The two hemispheres are connected by a thick band of nerve fibres called the corpus callosum.

What is the cerebral hemisphere?

Listen to pronunciation. (seh-REE-brul HEH-mis-feer) One half of the cerebrum, the part of the brain that controls muscle functions and also controls speech, thought, emotions, reading, writing, and learning.

What part of the brain is responsible for selective attention?

Meticulous research over decades has found that the control of this vital ability, called selective attention, belongs to a handful of areas in the brain’s parietal and frontal lobes. Now a new study suggests that another area in an unlikely location—the temporal lobe—also steers the spotlight of attention.

What is the specialization of function?

Functional specialization is a property of biological systems generally. Specialization of function in the human brain is most clear at the periphery of the system at the levels of primary sensory and motor systems.

What does the pyramidal system control?

The pyramidal tracts are responsible for the conscious, voluntary control of the body and face muscles. They can be divided into two tracts.

What do pyramidal cells in the hippocampus do?

In the hippocampus, pyramidal cells in CA1 and the subiculum process sensory and motor cues to form a cognitive map encoding spatial, contextual, and emotional information, which they transmit throughout the brain.

What is pyramidal system and function?

The pyramidal tract is a major efferent (outgoing) bundle of motor neurons that originates in the sensorimotor area of the cerebral cortex, descends through the internal capsule and into the brain stem to synapse in the spinal cord. The pyramidal tract transmits signals that function to control voluntary movements.

What is the significance of pyramids in the medulla?

The medullary pyramids are two white matter formations in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem that carry motor fibres from the corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts, which are commonly understood as the pyramidal tracts. When the fibres cross, the pyramids’ lowest limit is marked (decussate).

What is the role of the medullary pyramids?

The pyramids consist mainly of tubules that transport urine from the cortical, or outer, part of the kidney, where urine is produced, to the calyces, or cup-shaped cavities in which urine collects before it passes through the ureter to the bladder.