14.1 Lateralisation Function Flashcards
The ____ ____ of the cerebral cortex is connected to skin receptors and muscles mainly on the right side of the body. The ____ ____ is connected to skin receptors and muscles mainly on the left side.
left hemisphere : right hemisphere
The human brain is ____. The left hemisphere has somewhat different functions from the right hemisphere.
asymmetrical
As an exception to this rule, ____ hemispheres control the trunk muscles and facial muscles.
both
Left hemisphere ____ only the right half of the world. The right hemisphere ____ only the left half of the world.
sees
Each hemisphere gets ____ information from both ears but slightly stronger for the contralateral ear.
auditory
Taste and smell, however, are ____. Each hemisphere gets taste information from its own side of the tongue and smell information from the nostril on its own side.
uncrossed
The left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex exchange information through a set of axons called the ____ ____ and through the anterior commissure, the hippocampal commissure, and a couple of other small commissures.
corpus callosum
Information that initially enters one hemisphere crosses quickly so that both hemispheres have access to the ____.
information
The two hemispheres are not mirror images of each other. In most humans, the left hemisphere is specialised for ____. The functions of the right hemisphere are more difficult to summarise.
language
Such a division of labour between the two hemispheres is known as ____.
lateralisation
If you had no corpus callosum, your left hemisphere could react only to information from the ____ side of your body, and your right hemisphere could react only to information from the ____.
right : left
Let’s consider how the eyes connect to the brain. The hemispheres connect to the eyes such that each hemisphere gets input from the opposite half of the ____ ____. That is, the left hemisphere sees the right side of the world, and the right hemisphere sees the left side.
visual world
Light from the right half of the ____ ____ (what is visible at any moment) strikes the left half of each retina, and light from the left visual field strikes the right half each retina. The left half of each retina connects to the left hemisphere, which therefore sees the right visual field.
visual field
The ____ system is organised differently. Each ear sends the information to both sides of the brain, because any brain area that contributes to localising sound must compare input from both ears. However, each hemisphere does pay more attention to the ear on the opposite side.
auditory
Damage to the ____ ____ prevents the two hemispheres from exchanging information.
corpus callosum
Occasionally, surgeons sever the corpus callosum as a treatment for severe ____, a condition characterised by repeated episodes of excessive synchronised neural activity.
epilepsy
People who have undergone surgery to the corpus callosum, referred to as ____ ____, maintain their intellect and motivation, and they still walk without difficulty.
split-brain people