Primary Sensory Cortex

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Bio bases 1. Exam 2. Essay questions.

1. Explain two differences between primary sensory cortex and association cortex

The primary sensory cortex is responsible for receiving information from the body senses. This area receives information from different regions of the body. The information is then sent to the sensory association cortex. The sensory association cortex is responsible for analyzing the information and storing memories. One difference in these two areas of the brain is that the primary sensory cortex is only involved in perception, while the sensory association cortex in involved in perception, analysis, and memory storage of information received from more than one system. Another difference involves when damage is done to …show more content…

When we are need in nutrients, the hypothalamus releases chemical signals that allow us to feel hunger. Another structure of the limbic system is the amygdala. This structure has a function in emotional learning. When a threatening event occurs, sensory stimuli create connections with memories of the stimuli. Emotional memory and learning, thus, takes place. The hippocampus is another structure of the limbic system; this structure plays a huge role in memory. The hippocampus is involved in encoding new, short-term memories, and it is also involved in retrieval of old …show more content…

They are both part of the autonomic nervous system. While the parasympathetic division is involved in stimulating sexual arousal, the sympathetic division is involved in stimulating orgasm. The sympathetic division speeds up the heartbeat while the parasympathetic division slows the heartbeat down. The digestive system is also affected by these two divisions; it is stimulated by the parasympathetic division and inhibited by the sympathetic division.

7. Explain the process by which light generates membrane potentials within the photoreceptor.

The photoreceptors detect the light. The muscles of our body cause our eyes to move so that certain images are not in our retina’s view; the shape of the lens then changes. Synapses and bipolar cells are channels in which photoreceptors communicate, which then communicate through synapses with ganglion cells. Amacrine cells and horizontal cells assist in combining the photoreceptors’ messages. The retinal molecule will detach from the opsin molecule when light strikes. When this occurs, the membrane becomes hyperpolarized. The rate of firing changes and the light is then detected.

8. Explain the organization of neurons into modules in the striate cortex. Specify which neurons respond to color, orientation and

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