HIGHER CORTICAL FUNCTIONS
MULTIMODAL ASSOCIATION AREAS
Parieto-Occipitotemporal Association Area
- largest multimodal association area
- interpret meaning for signals
Functional sub-areas:
1. Spatial coordinates (visual, auditory, body
surroundings)
2. Language comprehension
 Wernicke’s area
– higher intellectual function
– language comprehension and intelligence
– connected to Broca’s area by arcuate
fasciculus
3. Initial processing of visual language (reading)
 Angular gyrus
- makes meaning out of visually perceived
words
4. Area of naming objects
- names are learned mainly through auditory input
lesions/damage:
Wernicke’s aphasia
- loss of function of language comprehension
- damaged areas: supramarginal and angular
gyrus and superior temporal gyrus
Dyslexia
- damage to angular gyrus
- -
Locations:
posterior occipital cortex – visual sensory information
anterior parietal cortex – somatosensory information
anterolateral region of occipital lobe- reading
lateral portions od anterior occipital lobe and posterior
temporal lobe – naming objects (auditory)
Prefrontal Association Area Limbic Association Area Area for recognition of faces
- association with the motor cortex to plan - behavior, emotion and motivation
complex patterns and sequences of motor - emotional drives
movements - motivational drives for learning
- motor planning: signals  basal ganglia -
(caudate nucleus)  motor cortex  carries
out specific plan of action/movement
- elaboration of thought
- process motor and non-motor information
- stores “working memories” (short term) or
planning memories
 Broca’s area
- word formation
- where plans and motor patterns for expressing
individual words or short phrases
- when a person learns a new language, are in
brain where new language is stored is slightly
removed from storage from the storage area
for the first language
- If both languages learned simultaneously =>
stored in the same area of brain
lesions or damage: Prosopagnosia
Motor disorders - inability to recognize faces
- damage between prefrontal and basal - abnormal behavior, fluctuating emotions, loss of - damage to medial undersides of occipital
ganglia motivation lobes and medioventral surface of temporal
Broca’s aphasia lobes
- lesions in pars opercularis and pars
triangularis
impaired articulation of speech
posterior lateral prefrontal cortex and premotor area – occipital portion- visual cortex
Broca’s area temporal portion – limbic system