PSYC 211 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3.3: Grey Matter, Sensory System, Postcentral Gyrus
3 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
The forebrain surrounds the rostral end of the neural tube, and its major components are the telencephalon and the diencephalon. The telencephalon includes most of the two symmetrical cerebral hemispheres. The hemispheres are covered by the cerebral cortex and contain the limbic system and the basal ganglia, the latter two which are primarily in the subcortical regions. The cortex, which is greatly convoluted in humans, covers the cerebral hemispheres like bark. These convolutions, consisting of sulci (small grooves), fissures (large grooves) and gyri (bulges between adjacent sulci or fissures), greatly enlarge the surface area of the cortex. Because cell bodies predominate, this gives the cortex a grayish appearance, hence the name grey matter. Different regions of the primary somatosensory cortex receive information from different parts of the body on the contralateral side. The region of the cerebral cortex that is most directly involved with control of movement is the primary motor cortex located in front of the primary somatosensory cortex.
