biopsychology year 13

Question 1

what is localisation of function

Answer 1

specific locations within the brain have specific functions

Question 2

what is the motor cortex responsible for

Answer 2

voluntary movements

Question 3

where is the motor cortex located

Answer 3

in the frontal lobe along the precentral gyrus

Question 4

what does contralateral mean

Answer 4

that the brain is cross wired and the hemispheres control opposite sides of the body

Question 5

what is the boundary between the frontal and parietal lobe called

Answer 5

central sulcus

Question 6

what is the somatosensory cortex responsible for

Answer 6

processing sensory information related to touch to specific body regions

Question 7

where is the somatosensory cortex located

Answer 7

parietal lobe along the postcentral gyrus

Question 8

where is the visual cortex located

Answer 8

occipital lobe

Question 9

what is the visual cortex responsible for

Answer 9

processes different types of visual information

Question 10

how does visual information go to the visual cortex

Answer 10

1. Begins in the retina where light enters 2. Strokes the receptors
2. The nerve impulses are then transferred to the brain via the optic nerve
3. Then the thalamus acts as a relay station passing the information to the visual cortex

Question 11

where are the auditory centres located

Answer 11

in the temporal lobes

Question 12

what are the auditory centres responsible for

Answer 12

processing sound information from the cochlea

Question 13

where is brocas area located

Answer 13

posterior frotnal lobe of the left hemispheres

Question 14

what is the Brocas area responsible for

Answer 14

it is responsible for speech production

Question 15

where is Wernickes area located

Answer 15

posterior temporal lobe in the left hemisphere

Question 16

what is Wernickes area responsible for

Answer 16

understanding language

Question 17

limitations for localisation of the brain

Answer 17

• some believe higher mental functions aren’t in one single area and that when a person suffers minor brain damage the intact areas of the cortex can take over responsibility for the function that is no longer able to be done and this has shown in patients with brain damage learning how to walk again even if there is damage to the area of original function
• communications between the areas of the brain may be more important than the localisation of functions and Joseph Dejerine described the case of a patient losing the ability to read due to damage to the connection between the visual cortex and Wernickes area showing complex behaviour uses multiple different structures
• individual differences in language areas as Harasty et al found that women have proportionally larger Brocas and Wernickes area than men and this resulted in women having a greater use of language

Question 18

strength of localisation of function

Answer 18

+ Aphasia studies as there are two types of aphasia that effect a person and Broca’s aphasia is an impaired ability to produce language and this is caused by brain damage in Broca’s area. Wernicke’s aphasia causes people to have an impaired ability to extract meaning from spoken or written words and this was because of damage to Wernicke’s area.

+ Phinneas gage case study evidence of localisation and his personality change

Question 19

what is hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 19

the two hemispheres of the brain are not alike and each hemisphere has functional specialisations

Question 20

what are the specialisations of the right hemispheres

Answer 20

visual motor skills

Question 21

what are the specialisations of the left hemispheres

Answer 21

dominant in speech and language

Question 22

what are the hemispheres connected by

Answer 22

a bunch of nerve fibres called the corpus collosum allowing communication between them