Chapter 14_Lateralization and Language

Question 1

Lateralization

Answer 1

The specialization of certain functions in one hemisphere of the brain over the other.

Question 2

Corpus Callosum

Answer 2

A large bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres, allowing interhemispheric communication.

Question 3

Anterior Commissure

Answer 3

A smaller white matter tract connecting the temporal lobes across the two hemispheres, involved in memory and emotion.

Question 4

Hippocampal Commissure

Answer 4

A white matter tract that connects the left and right hippocampi, allowing the transfer of information between them.

Question 5

Interhemispheric Transfer

Answer 5

The exchange of information between the two hemispheres of the brain.

Question 6

Corpus Callosotomy

Answer 6

A surgical procedure severing the corpus callosum, often used to treat severe epilepsy.

Question 7

Split-Brain Patients

Answer 7

Individuals who have undergone corpus callosotomy, resulting in the two hemispheres operating largely independently.

Question 8

Phoneme

Answer 8

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish words.

Question 9

Morpheme

Answer 9

The smallest meaningful unit in a language, which can be a word or a part of a word, such as prefixes or suffixes.

Question 10

Syntax

Answer 10

The set of rules that dictates the arrangement of words to form sentences.

Question 11

Semantics

Answer 11

The meaning of words and phrases within the context of language.

Question 12

Wada Test

Answer 12

A procedure to determine language dominance in the brain by temporarily anesthetizing one hemisphere.

Question 13

Aphasia

Answer 13

A language disorder resulting from brain damage, affecting speech production or comprehension.

Question 14

Broca’s Area

Answer 14

A region in the frontal lobe associated with language production.

Question 15

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 15

A type of aphasia where individuals have difficulty producing speech but can understand language, often resulting in halting, effortful speech.

Question 16

“Patient Tan”

Answer 16

The nickname for Louis Victor Leborgne, a patient studied by Broca who could only say “tan” due to a lesion in Broca’s area.

Question 17

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 17

A region in the superior temporal gyrus involved in language comprehension.

Question 18

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Answer 18

A type of aphasia where individuals produce fluent but nonsensical speech and have difficulty understanding language.

Question 19

Arcuate Fasciculus

Answer 19

A white matter tract connecting Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, involved in language processing.

Question 20

Conduction Aphasia

Answer 20

A language disorder where individuals can comprehend and produce language but struggle to repeat words and sentences accurately.

Question 21

Global Aphasia

Answer 21

Severe language impairment affecting both language production and comprehension, often due to extensive brain damage.

Question 22

The Wernicke-Geschwind Model

Answer 22

A model proposing a network of brain areas involved in language processing, connecting auditory, motor, and comprehension regions.

Question 23

Angular Gyrus

Answer 23

A region of the brain involved in reading and writing, as well as interpreting written language.

Question 24

Dyslexia

Answer 24

A learning disability characterized by difficulty with phonological processing and reading, often due to differences in brain structure or function.