Wernicke's area

Examples of Wernicke's area in the following topics:

• Overview of the Cerebrum

  • These functions originate within the primary motor cortex and other frontal lobe motor areas where actions are planned.
  • Damage to motor areas of cortex can lead to certain types of motor neuron disease.
  • Motor portions of language are attributed to Broca's area within the frontal lobe.
  • Speech comprehension is attributed to Wernicke's area, at the temporal-parietal lobe junction.
  • Damage to the Broca's area results in expressive aphasia (non-fluent aphasia) while damage to Wernicke's area results in receptive aphasia.

• Association Areas

  • Language abilities are localized in the left hemisphere in Broca's area for language expression and Wernicke's area for language reception.
  • The association areas are organized as distributed networks, and each network connects areas distributed across widely spaced regions of the cortex.
  • The association areas integrate information from different receptors or sensory areas and relate the information to past experiences.
  • Then the brain makes a decision and sends nerve impulses to the motor areas to elicit responses.
  • Locations of brain areas historically associated with language processing.

• Aphasia

  • Examples of well-known aphasia subtypes are Broca's aphasia, also called expressive aphasia, and Wernicke's aphasia, also called receptive aphasia.
  • The area and extent of brain damage or atrophy determines the type of aphasia and its symptoms.
  • In contrast to expressive aphasia, damage to the temporal lobe may result in a fluent aphasia that is called receptive aphasia (also known as sensory aphasia and Wernicke's aphasia).
  • These are the areas primarily responsible for language and injury leads to an inability to process speech.

• Motor Areas

  • The motor areas, arranged like a pair of headphones across both cortex hemispheres, are involved in the control of voluntary movements.
  • The motor areas of the brain are located in both hemispheres of the cortex.
  • The motor areas are very closely related to the control of voluntary movements, especially fine movements performed by the hand.
  • The right half of the motor area controls the left side of the body, and the left half of the motor area controls the right side of the body.
  • The basal nuclei receive input from the substantia nigra of the midbrain and motor areas of the cerebral cortex and send signals back to both of these locations.

• Sensory Areas

  • Sensory areas of the brain receive and process sensory information, including sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing.
  • Sensory areas are the areas of the brain that receive and process sensory information.
  • The cortex is commonly described as composed of three parts: sensory, motor, and association areas.
  • The primary gustatory area is near the face representation within the postcentral gyrus.
  • Areas with lots of sensory innervation, such as the fingertips and the lips, require more cortical area to process finer sensation.

• General Organization of the Somatosensory System

  • The primary somatosensory area of the human cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe.
  • The postcentral gyrus is the location of the primary somatosensory area, the area of the cortex dedicated to the processing of touch information.
  • The surface area of cortex dedicated to a body part correlates with the amount of somatosensory input from that area.
  • For example, there is a large area of cortex devoted to sensation in the hands, while the back requires a much smaller area.
  • The surface area of cortex dedicated to a body part correlates with the amount of somatosensory input from that area.

• Mapping the Primary Somatosensory Area

  • This is the point-for-point correspondence of an area of the body to a specific point on the central nervous system.
  • Typically, the area of the body corresponds to a point on the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus).
  • Areas such as the appendages, digits, and face can draw their sensory locations upon the somatosensory cortex.
  • Areas that are finely controlled, such as the digits, have larger portions of the somatosensory cortex, whereas areas that are coarsely controlled, such as the trunk, have smaller portions.
  • Areas such as the viscera do not have sensory locations on the postcentral gyrus.

• Somatic Sensory Pathways

  • The primary somatosensory area in the human cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe.
  • This is the main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch.
  • Like other sensory areas, there is a map of sensory space called a homunculus at this location.
  • Areas of this part of the human brain map to certain areas of the body, dependent on the amount or importance of somatosensory input from that area.
  • For example, there is a large area of cortex devoted to sensation in the hands, while the back has a much smaller area.

• Dermatomes

  • A dermatome is an area of skin that is supplied by a single spinal nerve, and a myotome is a group of muscles that a single spinal nerve root innervates.
  • A dermatome is an area of skin that is supplied by a single spinal nerve .
  • Although the general pattern is similar in all people, the precise areas of innervation are as unique to an individual as fingerprints.
  • The rash of shingles is almost always restricted to a specific dermatome, such as on the chest, leg, or arm caused by the residual varicella zoster virus infection of the nerve that supplies that area of skin.
  • Dermatomes are areas of skin supplied by sensory neurons that arise from a spinal nerve ganglion.

• Alopecia

  • Alopecia areata is a medical condition, possibly autoimmune, where hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, especially the scalp.
  • Alopecia areata (AA) is a medical condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body.
  • Different skin areas can exhibit hair loss and regrowth at the same time.