Psychology 210: Introduction to Cognitive NeuroscienceUnion College Spring 2010 Professor Romero

Laboratory 1: Neuroanatomy

In this laboratory exercise, you will use the Talairach brain atlas (in PDF files on the lab computer—do not copy these files!), supplemented by the Mai brain atlas (also in PDF on the lab computers—this file may be copied to your own computer), and the BrainVoyager Brain Tutor software (available at: http://www.brainvoyager.com/BrainTutor.html), to solve problems in neuroanatomy. You may also consult the textbook and class slides and notes, of course. For problems 7–9 you may also consult any other resources you can find.

Tips for solving these problems:• Look at multiple views to locate the same structure; if you can’t find the same thing on more

than one view, you may be in the wrong place in the brain.• If your coordinates lie between two slices, look at both adjacent slices; the structure should be

visible on at least one, or probably both.

1. What is the cauliflower-shaped structure outlined on the first plate of the sagittal slices in the Talairach atlas? What is the long structure anterior to it? What is special about the way the Talairach atlas handles these two structures? (If you have trouble with this question, come back to it after you do all the others ones, and it should be easier.)

2. For each of the following locations, find the name of the corresponding structure from the Talairach atlas. Write the label and the English name of the structure. Each location is in coordinate (x, y, z) form.

1, 1, –1:

21, 40, 5:

10, 14, 65:

5, 25, –1:

–51, 40, –9:

–40, –16, 16:

–28, –8, –16:

21, –27, –21:

–6, –54, 12:

18, –75, –36:

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3. List at least three brain areas that are contiguous with Brodmann Area 7:

4. Which figure in the Talairach atlas shows the greatest cross-sectional area of each of these structures? (If two or more figures are close in the amount they show, list them all.)

Thalamus:

Orbital gyrus:

Inferior temporal gyrus:

Area 3:

5. Start at each of the following coordinates and move at a 45° angle posterior and superior. What is the last structure you reach before you leave the brain? What types of images/plates are most useful for answering this question?

55, 10, –10:

–3, 0, 0:

25, 0, –5:

6. Give as many correct names as you can for each of these structures/areas (hint—it may be helpful to find their coordinates):

Calcarine sulcus:

Area 4:

Heschl’s gyrus:

Primary motor cortex:

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7. A brain-imaging study has shown that when subjects perform a particular cognitive task, there is activity at all of the coordinates listed below. What kind of task do you think the subjects were doing, and why? (Make the best-educated guess you can.) Would your conclusion be the same if the first three activations were at positive x-values instead of negative?

-52, 30, 4-48, 48, 8-64, -22, 460, -32, 19-54, -20, 14

Since the lateral sulcus, inferior and middle frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus all show activation. These parts of the brain are associated with subdivisions, and valleys and peaks, between the frontal and temporal lobes. As such, the individuals are most likely processing and integrating motor and higher cognitive information with auditory information. One task that the subjects are most likely performing is language processing and comprehension. The superior temporal gyrus is also known as Brodmann’s Area 22, or Wernicke’s Area, which functions in the processing of speech. On the other hand, the primary function of inferior frontal gyrus, which is also known as Broca’s area or Brodmann’s Area 44 and 45, is the production of written and spoken speech. The conclusion would be the same if the three activations were positive x-values because the x-coordinate solely deals with a difference from the left hemisphere, if negative, to the right hemisphere. The two hemispheres are mirror images of each other and as such it will not change the above stated conclusion.

8. Another imaging study shows that when subjects do something in particular, there is activation at all of the following coordinates. What do you think they are doing, and why?

16, 18, –513, –15, –519, 48, –11–21, 33, –8

9. Patients with brain lesions centered on any of the following coordinates all have problems in the same general area of cognitive function. How would you describe this function, and why?

24, –50, –8–40, –80, –125, –92, 0

10. The brain images in Figure A show six views of the brain. Give a label to describe each of the four largest views. The colored blobs show areas that were more active during a cognitive task in individuals

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who were above-average in intelligence (as contrasted with individuals who were below-average in intelligence). Give at least two labels for each of the five circled areas of activation. You can write the labels in on the figure.

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11. Figure B shows a comparison of brain activity between typical adult subjects (left) and adults with autism-spectrum disorders (right). What are the approximate coordinates of the blue crosshairs? How would you describe this area? (Give as many labels/names as you can.)

12. Find the lesions (damaged areas) on the attached brain images and label each one of them. Then give an educated guess, with a brief explanation, of what might be wrong with the patient in each case. (Each figure is a different patient.)

Figure C:

Figure D:

Figure E:

Figure F:

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Figure A

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Figure B

Figure C

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Figure D (look very carefully to find an area of abnormality)

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Figure E (ignore colored lines)

Figure F