Biopsychology - Localisation And Lateralisation Of Function In The Brain Flashcards
What is the holistic theory of brain function?
The theory that all parts of the brain were involved in the process of thought & action
What is localisation of brain function?
The theory that states different areas of the brain controls specific physical/behavioural functions in the body
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
Temporal
Occipital
Frontal
Parietal
What is lateralisation of brain function?
The theory that states different hemispheres of the brain control specific physical/behavioural functions in the body
How does these two theories differ from the holistic theory?
They both go into more detail whereas the holistic theory puts down all behaviour & function to the whole brain
What does it mean by saying the brain is ‘contralateral’?
The different hemispheres control the opposite side of the body’s function e.g. left hand side -> right hemisphere
What is the outer layer of the brain called?
The cerebral cortex
What is the cerebral cortex also known as & how thick is it?
Grey matter -> 3mm thick
What does the frontal lobe do?
Controls movement, problem solving, concentration, thinking, behaviour, mood & personality
What does the temporal lobe do?
Controls hearing, language & memory
What does the parietal lobe do?
Controls sensations, language, perception, body awareness & attention
What does the occipital lobe do?
Controls vision & perception
What does the cerebellum do?
Controls posture, balance, coordination & movement
What does the brain stem do?
Controls vital functions e.g. consciousness, breathing & heart rate
What are the 2 areas in the brain?
Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area
What are Broca’s & Wernicke’s area
Language centres of the brain?
How did Broca discover Broca’s area?
He visited a patient who could only say Tan, when he died, his brain & several other patients with the same speech problems were cut open & he found damage to their left frontal hemisphere. This led him to conclude there was a language centre in this part of the brain that is critical for speech production
Specifically, What does Broca’s area control?
Speech production
What happens if there is damage to Broca’s area?
Broca’s aphasia -> problems with producing fluent speech (or any speech at all)
What led Wernicke to discover Wernicke’s area?
After Broca’s area was discovered, Wernicke discovered that some of Broca’s patients could understand speech, but couldn’t talk, people with issues in Wernicke’s area could speak but couldn’t understand language. He discovered that language involves both motor & sensory regions of the brain so Broca’s & Wernicke’s area are linked
What happens if someone has an issue with Wernicke’s area?
Wernicke’s aphasia -> difficulty understanding & assigning meaning to speech
What is the motor cortex?
Responsible for voluntary motor movements
Both hemispheres have a motor cortex that controls the muscles on the opposite side of the body
Different parts of the motor cortex exert control over different parts of the body & the regions are arranged logically next to the other e.g. foot & leg regions
Where is the motor cortex located?
The frontal lobe, along the precentral gyrus
What is the somatosensory cortex?
The cortex that detects sensory events from different parts of the body
Uses sensory information from the skin & produces sensations of touch, pressure, pain & temp, which is then localised to the specific body regions
There are 1 in both hemispheres which control the sensory info, of the opposite side
