L10 - Laterality and Language

Question 1

Why is verbal language limited in non-humans?

Answer 1

due to a lack of fine motor control of the lips, tongue and vocal cords

Question 2

what other ways can non-animals communicate?

Answer 2

Sign Language: Chimpanzees like Washoe learned basic sign language but showed limited understanding comparable to a 2-year-old human

Question 3

Where is the Broca’s area and what does damage to it cause?

Answer 3

Located in the left frontal lobe.

Symptoms:
Slow, labored speech without grammatical structure.

Difficulty finding the right word (anomia).

Patients are aware of their speech difficulties.

Accompanied by difficulty in understanding grammatically complex language.

Question 4

Where is the Wernicke’s area and what does damage to it cause?

Answer 4

Left posterior superior temporal gyrus, near the primary auditory cortex.

Symptoms:
Fluent speech devoid of meaning.

Use of inappropriate words (paraphasia) or made-up words (neologisms).

Profound deficits in language comprehension.

Patients often unaware of their speech or comprehension problems.

Question 5

What is the right hemisphere’s involved in?

Answer 5

emotional language procesing

Question 6

what’s the left hemisphere primarily responsible for?

Answer 6

language comprehension + speech

Question 7

what does fMRI measure?

Answer 7

blood flow to local areas of brain indicating high activity

Question 8

what are temporal shifts?

Answer 8

visual cortex response to stimuli showing changes in blood flow

Question 9

what is the function of the corpus callosum?

Answer 9

connects the 2 cerebral hemispheres allowing communication

Question 10

what cause split-brain patients?

Answer 10

severed corpus callosum for epilepsy treatment leading to independent hemisphere function

Question 11

what were the findings from researching split-brain patients?

Answer 11

Left hemisphere handles logical and analytical tasks.

Right hemisphere handles spatial and emotional tasks.

Patients could identify objects with one hand but not explain verbally.

Question 12

What does right parietal lobe damage cause and what are the symtoms?

Answer 12

Causes deficits in spatial awareness, often unaware of the left visual field or left side of their body.

Symptoms: Only drawing or eating from the right side, unaware of the issue.