VI. THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

Each area of the cortex has a specific function. Certain areas are sensory receptor centers, i.e. the primary visual receptor center (area 17) and the auditory receptor centers (areas 41 and 42). Still other areas, such as those in the precentral gyrus, are concerned with voluntary movements (see Figure Figure 2-6: area 4 of Brodmann). Associated areas that deal with the interpretation of the sensory messages also surround many primary cortical areas. Area 17, for instance, is surrounded by areas 18 and 19, which interpret visual images that reach area 17. Area 22 is the associate area for the auditory centers, areas 41 and 42. It gives meaning to the sounds and voices we hear.

Of equal importance are the interconnections or inter-reactions between cortical areas, which have never been fully investigated due to a lack of technical means. Much of the present knowledge on the activity of the cortex comes from neurosurgical procedures and pathologic cases (injuries to the brain, cerebrovascular accidents, and brain tumors). Degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, may also provide information about cortical and subcortical activity. Autopsies have further played a substantial role in the understanding of the specific functions of cortical areas. New non-invasive techniques, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have also given us additional information in studies of localized changes in cerebral blood oxygenation during cortical activation. This information has, however, been limited in the insight it could provide about sensory-motor functions.

The active system that connects cortical areas is a far more complex matter because cortical areas do not operate in a closed circuit. Organic, hormonal, and motor functions are intimately connected to all cortical activity. The best way to describe the exchange of information between cortical areas and body functions is probably by making an analogy to a process of chain reactions originating in one point but dispersing to several relay points located in various parts of the body. To give one example, a message may originate in a sensory receptor center and then travel to the thalamus, which would relay the information to a specific cortical area. This area would in turn send the message to a specific organ. From there, it may even bounce back to another cortical area. It is not uncommon in a neurotherapeutic practice to come across eight or ten different relay points between the initial area of activation and the final destination of the message. Let us now examine some possible scenarios:

1. The auditory centers (areas 41-42), which normally relay information to area 22, may for some reason divert the stimuli to the sleep centers. This unusual or abnormal connection will overload the sleep areas and after a short while induce sleeplessness in the patient.

2. The anxiety center may activate the hypothalamus, which then becomes the relay area. After leaving the hypothalamus, the messages or stimuli may follow their course through the normal pathway of the autonomic nervous system and reach the colon. In this case, the patient may develop diarrhea during acute anxiety attacks. This was in fact the case in a 68-year old female who was complaining of chronic lower back pain, frequent diarrhea, pain in both legs, pain in her right groin, poor digestion, pain at the base of the skull, pain in her right hip and right shoulder, constant throat irritation, and hemorrhoid bleeding. It was discovered that her past medical history had involved a gallbladder surgery at the age of 32 and a total hysterectomy at the age of 47. At the age of 64, she was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer and a hiatal hernia. By following our neurotherapy procedure, we discovered that the initial area of activation was located in the anal-coccygeal region (hence the hemorrhoids and the lower back pain). From there, a first message was sent to the pubic area, which is a hormonal reflex area. A second relay point was located at the anxiety center (throat irritation, diarrhea, poor digestion). The anxiety center then sent the information to the affective behavior center, relay point #3. From there, the message went down to the bladder (relay point #4), causing pain in both legs. The next area to be affected was the olfactory reflex point (relay point #5). From this point, the message went back to the cecum-ileocecal valve (relay point #6), accounting for the pain in the patient's right groin, right hip, and right shoulder. Continuing its course, the message moved up to the hepatic flexure (colon), relay point #7. Relay point #8 was established at the diaphragm, explaining the hiatal hernia. Finally, from the diaphragm the message returned to its point of origin in the anal-coccygeal area.

The above case shows that signs and symptoms are frequently related through a wiring of information. The unidirectional line of association between body structures and association between organs has been explained in previous chapters. This unidirectional association generates a transfer of information that goes from the pelvic region and lower limbs to the shoulder girdle and upper limbs. This is the result of a genetic encoding (hox genes), which has been transmitted across generations of vertebrates. This would also explain the transfer of symptoms and pathologies from one region of the body to another. Signs and symptoms are also closely related because sensory, autonomic, and motor pathways are interlaced. Sensory, autonomic, and motor stimuli may branch off and relay impulses to almost any area of the body.

3. Even though this discussion has focused mostly on organic ailments, that is not to say that our principles cannot be extended to mental health. By way of conclusion, we will briefly discuss the possibilities this avenue opens up (see Figures 5-9, Figure 5-10, Figure 5-11, Figure 5-12, Figure 5-13). As an example, we will point to the case of a 23-year-old female who was diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder with a post partum onset. The patient gained a lot of weight over the course of a few months and showed moderate signs of psychomotor retardation. The neurotherapy tests indicated that the area of activation was located at the trauma center (right hemisphere). Stimuli were then directed to the mood disorder center (relay #1) (see Figure 5-13). From there, the messages went to the affective behavior center (relay #2). ⁴⁵ Relay #2 activated the appetite center (relay point #3). Finally, the appetite center closed the cycle by sending the information back to the trauma center. Other examples of interconnection between cortical areas have been shown in Figures 5-10 and 5-12. Clinical experience and neurotherapeutic testing have indicated that psychiatric disorders (see Figure 5-13) are related to specific centers of activation in the cortex. Schizophrenic and paranoid disorders have not been discussed in the present chapter because of this health practitioner’s insufficient number of clinical cases.