Chapter 1 Flashcards
brain hypothesis
the brain is the source of behavior
neuron hypothesis
the unit of brain structure and function is the neuron
phrenology
cognitive functions localized in specific brain areas
- laid foundation for localization of function
- precursor for many maps of the brain
corticospinal tract
connects brain to muscle
broca’s area
corpus callosum
connects right and left hemispheres (largest)
wernicke’s area
connected to Broca’s area via arcuate fasiculus
connection aphasia
disconnection between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area will impair word repetition while speech production and movement will be retained
Paul Broca
patient paralyzed on right side of the body
levels of functional hierarchy
- spinal cord
- brainstem
- forebrain
Carl Wernicke
- proposed first model for organization of language
- proposed that regions of the brain have different functions but still must interact to work correctly
- identified that the left hemisphere was dominant for language
neuroplasticity
just because a part of the brain is lesioned does not mean that the function cannot be recovered
Pierre Flourens
- removed areas of cortex in animal brain and studied changes in behavior
- refuted localization of function
- showed no specialization for cortex
- specialization for brain stem
- remaining brain stem can substitute for function of cortex
functional hierarchy of the brain
- each successively higher level of nervous system controls more complex aspects of behavior
- when higher levels are damaged, behavior becomes simpler, less evolved
patient HM
- removal of a part of temporal lobe to treat epilepsy
- partial amnesia
- able to learn motor skills
- inability to remember acquiring that skill
- multiple memory systems