FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF CEREBRAL CORTEX:

Brodmann numbered different areas of cerebral cortex. Based on function, 2 types of areas: 1) Sensory areas (located in post central gyrus, superior temporal gyrus & part of hippocampal gyrus & contain granular cortex) 2) Motor areas (located in pre central gyrus & in other parts of frontal lobe & contain mainly agranular / pyramidal cortex)

Methods to investigate motor areas:

1) ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF MOTOR AREAS : & movement of different parts of body is noted. 2) ABLATION METHOD: A part of motor cortex is damaged & motor loss is noted. 3) CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF DISEASE: Post-mortem findings co-related to clinical loss of motor activity.

MOTOR AREAS:
1) PRIMARY MOTOR AREA 2) PRE MOTOR AREA 3) SUPPLEMENTARY MOTOR AREA 4) SPECIAL MOTOR AREAS

MOTOR AREAS Primary motor area

Brodmanns no: 4

Pre motor area Supplemental motor area

6 8, 9, 10

Brocas area / Motor speech area

44, 45

Frontal eye field

Primary Motor Area (Brodmanns area 4):

LOCATION: Lies in first convolution of frontal lobes anterior to central sulcus. It begins laterally in the sylvian fissure, spreads superiorly to uppermost portion of brain & then dips deep into the longitudinal fissure. It is brodmanns area 4. It consists of agranular type of cerebral cortex. In this area in layer no: 5, there are giant pyramidal cells called Betz cells

 There is topographical (parts by parts) representation of body & contralateral as well as upside down representation. By joining these parts, a figure of the body is formed: MOTOR HOMUNCULUS. It is a mirror image of SENSORY HOMUNCULUS. Parts of body concerned with precise, fine & skilled movements, are represented by much larger area.

MOTOR HOMUNCULUS

SENSORY HOMUNCULUS:

Function of Primary motor area:

Coordinated movement of contra-lateral parts of body. Blood flow to motor cortex varies with motor activity of different parts of body, e.g, if right hand is moved, blood flow to hand representation area in left motor cortex is increased (because of contralateral control)

Connections of primary motor area:

AFFERENT CONNECTIONS: Receives afferents from primary motor area of opposite side & Afferents from premotor & supplementary motor areas & Afferents from somatic sensory, auditory & visual areas & Afferents from thalamus, basal ganglia & cerebellum.

Connections of primary motor area:

EFFERENT CONNECTIONS: Efferents to spinal cord as corticospinal tract. Efferents to cranial nerve nuclei (corticobulbar fibers). Efferents to thalamus. Efferents to basal ganglia. Efferents to cerebellum as cortico-pontocerebellar fibers.

PRE-MOTOR AREA:
LOCATION: Anterior to primary motor area. It extends 1-3 cm anteriorly. It is broad at top & narrow below. At the top it extends upto longitudinal fissure & below upto sylvian fissure / lateral fissure. It consists of superior, middle & inferior frontal gyri. It is brodmanns area 6.

 In this area there is also topographical representation of different parts of body & pattern is similar to that in primary motor area. When pre motor area is stimulated there are movements involving contraction of groups of muscle.

This area is connected with primary motor area, directly or indirectly through basal ganglia & then through thalamus. This area programs the activity of primary motor area with the help of patterns already stored in brain.

SUPPLEMENTAL MOTOR AREA: (8, 9, 10) LOCATION: Lies mainly in the longitudinal fissure but extends a few centimeters onto superior frontal cortex. It contains medial frontal gyrus. In this area different parts of body are also represented. Face is anterior, legs are posterior, back is in superior wall of singulate sulcus.

 When this area is stimulated, movement of limbs or other parts on both sides (bilateral movement).
Bilateral grasping movement. This area controls the attitudinal, positional or fixation movements, e.g, background posture required for climbing up.

It supplements finer motor control areas (pre motor & primary motor) by positional movements of head, eyes etc.

SPECIAL MOTOR AREAS: 1) BROCAS AREA / MOTOR SPEECH AREA:

LOCATION: In inferior frontal gyrus, just anterior to face representation area in primary motor cortex. It is brodmanns area 44, 45. It is just above latral sulcus / sylvian fissure. In this area detailed motor pattern for contraction of muscles of phonation & articulation is formed .

 Then impulses are sent from this area to primary motor area to initiate these contractions. This area recieves impulses from Wernickes area through arcuate fasiculus. Spoken speech parts: 1) Phonation (to initiate vocal cord vibration, these must be adducted) 2) Articulation 3) Resonance

Damage of BROCAS AREA:

MOTOR APHASIA: Difficulty in uttering words & speech is limited to only few words. Also called NON-FLUENT APHASIA. Damage does not prevent vocalizing. May utter a simple word such as no or yes. Impossible to speak whole words.

2) FRONTAL EYE FIELD or Voluntary eye movement field:

LOCATION: In the pre motor area immediately above Brocas area is a locus for controlling voluntary eye movements. It is brodmanns area 8. When this area is electrically stimulated, there is conjugate deviation of eyes towards opposite side. Similar area is also present in occipital lobe. Frontal eye field also controls eye-lid movements like blinking. When this area is damaged, person cannot move eyes from one object to other.

 3) HEAD ROTATION AREA: Near frontal eye field, slightly higher in motor association area. Controls rotation of head. Electrical stimulation elicits head rotation It directs the head towards different objects. 4) AREA FOR HAND SKILLS: In the premotor area, immediately anterior to primary motor cortex for hands & fingers. Controls hand skills. When this area is damaged by tumors or other lesions MOTOR APRAXIA. Hand movements become uncoordinated & non-purposeful.

ARCUATE FASICULUS W. Area BROCAS AREA

PHONATION

Pattern impulses

ADDUCTORS OF VOCAL CORDS

Allows to contract PRIMARY MOTOR CORTEX