Physiological functions of Cerebral cortex
Physiological functions of Cerebral cortex is to provides necessary neural connections and orders to skeletal muscles required for proper response based on emotion.
Cerebral cortex
Cerebral Cortex provides necessary neural connections and orders to skeletal muscles required for proper response based on emotion.
As Ganglionic blanket covers the brain, has unexcelled structure function millions of nerve fibres are originated from here.
The cerebral hemisphere is the predominant portion of the brain .
Each cerebral hemisphere is composed of a covering of grey matter [cortex or pallium], a cerebral mass of white matter and the basal ganglia [mass of grey matter.
The cortex is the highest integration centre in the somatic nervous system to regulate complex skeletal muscular movement and its functions are under voluntary control.
It acts as a centre for consciousness, and storages of experience. The bilaterally situated cerebral cortex of telencephalon is divided into a primary olfactory portion called the allocortex and a non olfactory portion called the neocortex, in mammals the allocortex is often called as the limbic system
Isocortex
Isocortex is the outer layer, that integrates and interprets sensory information to initiate voluntary movements. There are outer folds namely GYRI and grooves namely SULCI to increase the surface area of isocortex.
Increase in surface area increases number of neurons, there inter connections enhance functional complexity. In other vertebrates like reptiles, birds and amphibians the neocortex is absent or poorly developed.
Allocortex regulates emotions. Cortex has definite cellular architecture and divided into six layers.
Physiological functions of Cerebral cortex
- Centre for voluntary movements-exerted by primary motor cortex Viz. Excitomotor cortex and is also responsible for highly skilled movements.
- Centre for quick and phasic movements
- Centre for postural maintenance-exerted by supplementary motor area
- Centre for stretch and postural maintenance
- Centre for major motor control-mediated by pyramidal and extra pyramidal tracts
- Centre for complex co-ordinated movements
- Frontal eye field of cerebral cortex is concerned with eye movement, pupillary dilatation and tear secretion
- Centre for reflex vocalization
- Centre for learning, memory processing and memory storage-compares past experiances and interprets the present experience
- Centre for mood, emotions and behaviour-like socializing
- Centre to receive specific sensations-crude sensations have sub cortical destination(except pain and crude temperature perceptions at thalamus level itself) finer sensations of touch temperature joint and vibratory senses are relayed to cortex
- Centre for discriminative ability
- Centre for spatial recognition
- Centre for tactile discrimination and localization
- Centre to compare and recognise relative intensity of different stimuli
- Centre to recognise similarity and differences stereognosis
- Centre for gustation-lower end of somestheti c cortex, lie next to motor cortex governing muscles of mastication
- Centre for visual senses and visuo-psychic sensations
- Centre for auditory senses and audito-psychic sensations
- Centre for olfactory sensations