you are here: home > explore > functional divisions

Neuroscience For Kids

Functional Divisions of the Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is responsible for many "higher-order" functions like language and information processing. Language centers are usually found only in the left cerebral hemisphere. For more information on language and differences between the right and left cerebral hemisphere, read about split brain experiments.

Cortical Area Function
Prefrontal Cortex Problem Solving, Emotion, Complex Thought
Motor Association Cortex Coordination of complex movement
Primary Motor Cortex Initiation of voluntary movement
Primary Somatosensory Cortex Receives tactile information from the body
Sensory Association Area Processing of multisensory information
Visual Association Area Complex processing of visual information
Visual Cortex Detection of simple visual stimuli
Wernicke's Area Language comprehension
Auditory Association Area Complex processing of auditory information
Auditory Cortex Detection of sound quality (loudness, tone)
Broca's Area Speech production and articulation
Broca's Area
Wernicke's Area
Images courtesy of Slice of Life.

Copyright © 1996-2017, Eric H. Chudler All Rights Reserved.