Let's learn about the supercomputer in your brain: the cerebral cortex!

Today we're going to talk about the brain, one of the most amazing organs in our body. It's also a very special, very important part of it. The cerebral cortex , or in English, the cerebral cortex, is like the main control chip in our computer. It is responsible for everything you think, want, remember, learn, make decisions, control your emotions, and decide who you are. So, let's take a closer look at this amazing part, shall we?

What is the Cerebral Cortex? Simply put...

When you think about your brain, the outermost layer is the cerebral cortex. It's like a shell. It's not just a smooth surface. Have you ever seen a walnut? Like the surface of a walnut, the cerebral cortex has a lot of wrinkles, deep grooves (which we call ``sulci'') and raised folds (which we call ``gyri'') . Think about what happens because of these wrinkles. These wrinkles are what allow us to create a large surface area in a small space. Then, more nerve cells can exchange information and work together. Just like we pack a lot of clothes into a small bag, these wrinkles allow the brain to process a lot of information.

Did you know? About half of the weight of your brain is in this cerebral cortex. And, it is made up of six layers of nerve cells . It is said that there are between 14 and 16 billion nerve cells in these layers! The thickness is about two to four millimeters (mm 2-4). Isn't it amazing?

This cerebral cortex is divided into four parts. We call them lobes:

1. Lalatah Vakhanda `( Frontal Lobe )`

2. Parietal lobe

3. Temporal lobe

4. Anukapala Vakhanda `( Occipital Lobe )`

Each of these regions performs a different function. Taken together, the cerebral cortex controls all of our higher-level mental processes, such as language, memory, reasoning, thinking, learning, decision-making, emotions, intelligence, and personality.

Why is this called 'Gray Matter'?

You've probably heard of something called the "gray matter" of the brain. That's the outer layer of the cerebral cortex. Why is it gray? The reason is that the dendrites of the nerve cells in this area (these are the parts that receive chemical messages from other nerve cells) don't have a fatty covering called myelin. Myelin is like the plastic sheath on an electrical wire. This part of the nerve cells looks gray because it doesn't have this myelin covering.

Then " What is white matter? It is the part of the brain that contains nerve fibers (axons) that are well-covered with myelin. Myelin is what gives that part its white color.

What is the difference between the cerebral cortex and the cerebrum?

These two sound similar, but there is a slight difference. The cerebrum is the largest part of your brain. This cerebrum divides the brain into two hemispheres - the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the cerebrum.

I said that the brain is divided into two hemispheres, and those two hemispheres are connected to each other by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. This is like a bridge. This is why the two hemispheres are able to exchange information and communicate with each other.

What is this new cortex (Neocortex)?

Most of our cerebral cortex, about 90%, belongs to a part called the neocortex . "Neo" means "new." It gets its name because it is thought to have emerged relatively recently in vertebrate evolution. In humans, the neocortex is responsible for the most complex functions.

What are the functions of the cerebral cortex? Let's take a look.

The cerebral cortex is like the supreme control center of our brain. It is involved in many higher-level functions such as reasoning, emotion, thinking, memory, language, and consciousness . As we mentioned earlier, each lobe of the brain has specific functions.

The working part of the frontal lobe

It's located in the front part of your brain, behind the forehead. Its main functions are:

• Decision making, problem solving
• Conscious thoughts
• Attention
• Controlling emotions and behavior
• Speaking (speech production)
• Personality
• Intelligence
• Body movements

Just imagine, this little trick helps you with everything from the small decisions you make throughout the day to how to solve big problems.

Some of the particularly important areas in this section are:

• Motor Cortex: This is what makes your muscles move. When you raise an arm or move a leg, the message goes here.
• Prefrontal Cortex: This is responsible for "executive functions." That is, things like planning, problem solving, and decision making. It also supervises and directs the other parts of the brain. Like a manager in a large office.
• Broca's area: This is what helps with the ability to speak, that is, to put words together and form sentences.

The working part of the occipital lobe

This is located at the back of your brain. As the name suggests, it mainly deals with visual information, that is, things we see with our eyes .

• Processing and understanding what is seen
• Collecting visual data like color, movement, and orientation
• Recognition of objects and faces
• Understanding depth and distance
• Mapping the visual world (that is, how we perceive the environment)

The working part of the parietal lobe

This is located between the Lalata Vakhanda and the Anukapala Vakhanda, above the Shankha Vakhanda. The main functions of this are:

• Processing sensory information (touch, pressure, pain, position, vibration, temperature). When you feel something, that information goes here.
• Spatial processing and spatial manipulation. That is, understanding where you are and your surroundings. For example, when you move around in your house or on the street, you can move without bumping into things because of this ability.

A special area in this region is the somatosensory cortex. This is where you receive "feeling" information (sensory sensations) from all over your body.

Let's see how the brain's circuits work together. Imagine you're going to get a cup of hot soup from the kitchen table.

* The motor cortex in the frontal lobe of your brain is what sends the message to the muscles in your arm and hand to reach for the soup bowl.

* When you touch a cup, information such as its temperature is assessed by the somatosensory cortex in your lateral ventricle .

* Also, the ability to adjust the position of the side handle allows you to accurately sense the distance of the cup relative to the table and other objects, and to hold the cup without it falling or tipping.

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Have you seen how several parts of the brain work together to accomplish even one small task?

The working part of the temporal lobe

It is located between the frontal lobe and the occipital lobe, below the lateral lobe, and very close to the ear. Its main functions are:

• Understanding language, developing speaking skills, learning
• Memory (especially remembering new things)
• Hearing (auditory)
• Understanding nonverbal communication (e.g. facial expressions)
• Converting sounds into visual images (e.g., imagining someone's image when they speak)

A special area in this area is Wernicke's area. This is what helps us understand language by understanding things like the tone and sound patterns of the words we hear, and by associating them with previously learned sounds.

Areas of the cerebral cortex (by function)

Some researchers look at the brain in a different way. They classify the areas of the cerebral cortex according to their three main functions: sensory areas, motor areas, and association areas.

• Sensory areas: These areas are responsible for receiving sensory information from your senses and the environment.
• Understanding visual information and recognizing objects: This is done by the visual cortex in the occipital lobe.
• Evaluation of information such as touch, temperature, position, vibration, pressure, and pain: This is done by the somatosensory cortex in the lateral ventricles.
• Processing of auditory information: This is done by the auditory cortex in the cochlea.
• Processing of taste and smell: This is done by the gustatory cortex in the palatine tonsils.

• Motor areas: These areas are involved in your voluntary muscle movements. That is, the movements you make with your mind. These functions occur mainly in the frontal lobe.
• Coordination of muscle movements.
• Planning complex movements.
• Learning through imitation and empathy.

• Association areas: These areas are spread across all four hemispheres. They connect information from sensory and motor areas, giving it meaning, and making tasks more complex.
• Organizing and making sense of information coming from sensory and motor areas.
• Controlling personality and emotional behavior.
• Situational understanding and reasoning.
• Memory processing.
• Helping you think visually and retain visual memories.
• Building with visual information, memories, sounds, and language.

How can the cerebral cortex be damaged?

There are several main causes of damage to any area of ​​the cerebral cortex, including:

• Tumors
• Trauma (e.g., a hard blow to the head)
• Autoimmune diseases
• Cerebrovascular accident (i.e., bleeding in the brain or stroke)

What symptoms occur if the cerebral cortex is damaged?

This is a bit scary, but it's important to know. Symptoms depend on which part of the cerebral cortex is damaged.

If the frontal lobe is damaged:

• Memory problems
• Personality changes (may feel like you're not the same person you used to be)
• Difficulty solving problems and making decisions
• Attention problems
• Inability to control emotions, antisocial behavior, and behavioral changes
• Inability to understand or express speech (aphasia)
• Difficulty speaking (`apraxia`)
• Weakness, paralysis, loss of muscle control on one side of the body (`flaccid hemiplegia`)
• In addition, dementia can also damage the frontal lobe.

If the parietal lobe is damaged:

• Problems generating memories
• Difficulty or inability to write (agraphia)
• Difficulty solving mathematical problems
• Numbness
• Disorientation (losing your sense of direction)
• Hand-eye coordination problems
• Inability to recognize objects by touch alone (astereognosis)
• Loss of sensation
• Aphasia
• Impracticality (`apraxia`)

If the temporal lobe is damaged:

• Hearing difficulties
• Memory problems (especially difficulty remembering new things)
• Difficulty recognizing faces and objects
• Language impairments (e.g., Wernicke's aphasia), difficulty understanding language
• In addition, conditions such as epileptic seizures, developmental dyslexia, and Alzheimer's disease can also damage this nerve.

If the occipital lobe is damaged:

• Difficulty recognizing more than one object at a time
• Difficulty recognizing objects by sight
• Color blindness
• Visual hallucinations (`Hallucinations` - seeing things that are not really there)
• Total blindness

Summary and Take-Home Message

So, you can see now how amazing and important the cerebral cortex is in our brain. It is the outermost layer of our brain. It is made up of billions of nerve cells. It controls all of our higher-level mental processes, such as memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, emotions, consciousness, and the functions of our senses.

Our brain is a very complex and valuable thing. It is our responsibility to protect it and be aware of it. If you have any problems or doubts related to your brain, it is never too late to seek medical advice. We can protect our brain health by living a healthy lifestyle and protecting our heads from accidents.

I hope this information is useful to you!

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