Cortical Areas: Unity and Diversity

Description

The study of areas in the cerebral cortex has a long history, bringing empirical data into close relation with fundamental conceptual issues about the cortex. The subject is currently being revitalized with the advent of new experimental methods and this book brings a modern perspective to the study of these areas. Cortical Areas: Unity and Diversity explores the correspondence of different methods of mapping areas, the correlation between connectivity and areas, interspecies variations and the developmental origin of areal differences. Cortical areas are also discussed in relation to functional evidence, discussing for instance similarities in cybernetic function between different sensory areas. The book also considers morphological substrates for integration between areas before exploring fundamental questions often asked in neurobiology and brain theory.

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction: Homogeneity and Heterogeneity of Cortical Structure: a Theme and its Variations

Part 1. The Empirical Status of Cortical Maps

• 2. Cyto - and Myeloarchitectonics: their Relationship and Possible Functional Significance
• 3. Architectonic Mapping of the Human Cerebral Cortex
• 4. Topographical Variability of Cytoarchitectonic Areas
• 5. Mapping of Human Brain Function by Neuroimaging Methods

Part 2. Cortical Areas: Correlation with Connectivity

• 6. Regional Dendritic Variation in Primate Cortical Pyramidal Cells
• 7. Intrinsic Connections in Mammalian Cerebral Cortex
• 8. Thalamic Systems and the Diversity of Cortical Areas
• 9. Cortical Areas and Patterns of Cortico-cortical Connections

Part 3. Constancy and Variation Across Species

• 10. The Cerebral Cortex of Mammals: Diversity within Unity
• 11. Laminar Continuity between Neo- and Meso-cortex: the Hypothesis of the added Laminae in the Neocortex Part 4. Functional Equivalence Between Areas
• 12. Cross-Modal Plasticity as a Tool for Understanding the Ontogeny and Phylogeny of Cerebral Cortex
• 13. Do Primary Sensory Areas Play Analogous Roles in Different Sensory Modalities
• 14. Platic-adaptive Properties of Cortical Areas

Part 5. Morphological Substrates of Segregation and Integration

• 15. Connectional Organisation and Function in the Macaque Cerebral Cortex
• 16. The Human Cortical White Matter: Quantitative Aspects of Corticocortical Long-range Connectivity
• 17. Fundamentals of Association Cortex
• 18. Wheels Within Wheels: Circuits for Integration of Neural Assemblies on Small and Large Scales

Part 6. Discussion Section