Associational cortex introduction Domina Petric, MD https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Cognition The neural processes by which the brain integrates meaningful stimuli and internal motivations (brain and body states) into awareness and appropriate behavior. Stimuli may be external and detected by the special sensory systems or internal and related to brain and body state (sense of self). https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Cognition Brain and body states may reflect emotions, mood, motivations, memory, appetitive drives, injuries, disabilities.... Awareness may be objective or highly subjective. Response may result in somatic and visceral motor output. https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Cognition Response may result in altered patterns of neural activity that represent explicit knowledge or emotions, with or without overt motor expression. https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Behavioral functions Behavioral function Neural process Attention Modulatory influences of brainstem reticular formation, hypothalamus and basal forebrain nuclei on thalamic and cortical processes Recognition Coding of feature representations in primary and higher order sensory cortices Integration Association of disparate processing streams in associational cortices Planning Executive associational cortices in prefrontal cortex Selection, execution Implementation of short and long term plans https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Associational cortices Primary motor cortex Primary somatosensory cortex Somatosensory unimodal association cortex Premotor cortex Anterior Association Area Posterior Association Area Primary visual cortex Limbic Association Area Visual unimodal association cortex Primary auditory cortex Auditory unimodal association cortex Associational cortices https://cogsci.stackexchange.com https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Associational cortices They bring together integrating information that is being processed through lower to higher order divisions of sensory and motor regions. https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Thalamic nuclei First-order thalamic nuclei send inputs into the sensory cortex. Higher-order thalamic nuclei send inputs into the association cortex and also recieve inputs from the cortex. https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Association cortex of the contralateral hemisphere Corresponding cortical areas Non-corresponding cortical areas Other primary and secondary sensory cortical regions Motor and premotor cortex Association cortices: frontal, parietal, temporal MD and LP thalamic nuclei, PULVINAR VA-VL thalamic nuclei complex Cerebral cortex Caudate nucleus, putamen, cerebellum Brainstem modulatory inputs affect the cerebral cortex. https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University

Literature https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University https://cogsci.stackexchange.com https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience: Leonard E. White, PhD, Duke University