Biopsychology: Localisation of the brain Flashcards
What is localisation of function?
The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.
What are the four main lobes in the brain?
Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal
What does the right hemisphere control?
The left hand side
What does the left hemisphere control?
The right hand side
Where are the Visual centres?
In the occipital lobe, both hemispheres
What is the function of the visual centres?
To process visual information
Where is the auditory centre?
In the temporal lobe, both hemispheres
What is the pathway of the auditory centre?
Cochlea - nerve impulses - brain stem - auditory cortex
What is the function of the auditory centre?
To analyse speech based information
What are the two language centres?
Broca area and the Wernicke’s area
Where is the Broca area?
In the frontal lobe, left hemisphere
What happens if you damage the Broca area?
You can understand language but you are unable to communicate it back - based on motor action
Where is the Wernicke’s area?
The temporal lobe and parietal lobe border - left hemisphere
What happens if you damage the Wernicke’s area?
You can speak but cannot understand language - based on sensory input
Where is the motor cortex?
The frontal lobe, both hemispheres
What is the function of the motor cortex?
It is in charge of voluntary movements
Where is the somatosensory cortex?
In the parietal lobe - both hemispheres
What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?
It takes in sensory information from the skin of touch, pain pressure and temperature.
Evaluation for localisation
Brain scan evidence Neurosurgical evidence Case study Lashley's research Plasticity
Evaluation point: Brain scan evidence
Petersen used brain scans to demonstrate how Wernicke’s area was active during a listening task and Broca’s area was active during a reading task, showing that different areas are activated for differing tasks, rather than the brain working as one unit.
Evaluation point: Neurosurgical evidence
Dougherty reported on 44 OCD patients who had undergone cingulotomy.
After 32 weeks, 1/3 had met the criteria for successful response and 14% for partial response.
This success suggests that symptoms associated with serious mental disorders are localised.
Evaluation point: Case study
Phineas Gage
In an explosion a metre length pole was hurled through his left cheek, passing his left eye and exiting his skull from the top of his head taking a portion of his left frontal lobe with it.
He survived but he hanged from a calm person to a quick-tempered person.
This suggests that the frontal lobe may be responsible for regulating mood.
Evaluation point: Lashley’s research
Lashley suggests learning is distributed holistically not localised.
He removed areas of the cortex in rats that were learning a maze, no area was more important.
It seemed to require the whole cortex rather than being confined to an area.
Learning is too complex to be localised
Evaluation point: Plasticity
When the brain becomes more damaged the rest of the brain seems able to reorganise itself in an attempt to recover the lost function.
Stroke victims being able to recover those abilities that were seemingly lost as a result.
