![]() Temporal lobe - departing from the occipital lobe, the what pathway of visual processing dives down into inferotemporal cortex (IT), where visual objects are recognized.Clearly, its main function is in visual processing. Occipital lobe - this contains primary visual cortex (V1) (Brodmann's area 17 or BA17), located at the very back tip of the neocortex, and higher-level visual areas that radiate out (forward) from it.Here is a quick overview of the functions of the cortical lobes ( Figure 5.5): Figure \(5.5\): Summary of functions of cortical lobes - see text for details. We won't refer too much to things at this level of detail, but learning some of these numbers is a good idea for being able to read the primary literature in cognitive neuroscience. Figure \(5.4\): Terminology for referring to different parts of the brain - for everything except lateral and medial, three different terms for the same thing are given.įigure 5.2 and Figure 5.3 shows more detail on the structure of the neocortex, in terms of Brodmann areas - these areas were identified by Korbinian Brodmann on the basis of anatomical differences (principally the differences in thickness of different cortical layers, which we covered in the Networks Chapter). Figure \(5.3\): Color delineated map of Brodmann areas on the external cortical surface. Its policy for making these choices is learned based on their prior history of reinforcement/punishment.įigure 5.4 shows the terminology that anatomist's use to talk about different parts of the brain - it is a good idea to get familiar with these terms - we'll put them to good use right now. It helps to make the final "Go" call on whether (or not) to execute particular actions that the cortex 'proposes', and whether or not to update cognitive plans in the prefrontal cortex. Basal Ganglia - this is a collection of subcortical areas that plays a critical role in Motor Control and Reinforcement Learning, and also in Executive Function.We'll explore the role of visual thalamus in Perception and Attention and of motor thalamus in Motor Control and Reinforcement Learning. Thalamus - provides the primary pathway for sensory information on its way to the neocortex, and is also likely important for attention, arousal, and other modulatory functions.We'll explore it in Motor Control and Reinforcement Learning. It is also active in most cognitive tasks, but understanding exactly what its functional role is in cognition remains somewhat elusive. Cerebellum - this massive brain structure contains 1/2 of the neurons in the brain, and plays an important role in motor coordination.We'll explore it in Motor Control and Reinforcement Learning, where it plays an important role in reinforcing motor (and cognitive) actions based on reward (and punishment). Amygdala - this brain area is important for recognizing emotionally salient stimuli, and alerting the rest of the brain about them.Hippocampus - this brain area is actually an "ancient" form of cortex called "archicortex", and we'll see in Learning and Memory how it plays a critical role in learning new "everyday" memories about events and facts (called episodic memories).These are generally referred to as subcortical brain areas, and we include some of them in our computational models, including: The rest of the brain lives inside the neocortex, with some important areas shown in the figure. ![]() This is where most of our complex cognitive function occurs, and what we have been focusing on to this point in the text. The outer portion is the "wrinkled sheet" (upon which our thoughts rest) of the neocortex, showing all of the major lobes. These anatomical distinctions are remarkably well correlated with the functional differences in what different brain areas do.įigure 5.1 shows the "gross" (actually quite beautiful and amazing!) anatomy of the brain. Figure \(5.2\): Brodmann's numbering system for the different areas of the neocortex, based on anatomical distinctions such as the thickness of different cortical layers, as we discussed in the Networks Chapter. Left panel shows the major lobes of the outer neocortex layer of the brain, and right panel shows some of the major brain areas internal to the neocortex. Comparing and Contrasting Major Brain Areasįigure \(5.1\): Gross anatomy of the brain.
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