Localisation of Brain Function

Question 1

what do the cerebral hemispheres do?

Answer 1

controls higher functions such as memory, vision and hearing

linked together by a bundle of nerve fibres

different functions can be allocated to each hemisphere

Question 2

what is the holistic theory?

Answer 2

the idea that all parts of the brain are involved in the processing of thought and action

Question 3

what happened to phineas gage?

Answer 3

in 1848 he dropped a tamping iron onto the rock causing an explosion to ignite and hurl a metre length pole into his head

went through his left cheek, passed behind his left eye and through his skull

took a portion of his left frontal lobe

his personality was effected

Question 4

limitations of phineas gage?

Answer 4

unique case so not generalisable

lacks validity as it was a long time ago

Question 5

strength of phineas gage?

Answer 5

suggested the frontal lobe is responsible for regulating mood

Question 6

what is lateralisation?

Answer 6

the idea different hemispheres control different functions

Question 7

what is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 7

outer layer of both hemispheres

3mm thick

separates us from other animals as it is much more developed in humans

Question 8

what does the frontal lobe do?

Answer 8

motor area

controls voluntary movement in opposite sides of the body

damage results in loss of fine movements

Question 9

which hemisphere is the frontal lobe located?

Answer 9

it is in both hemispheres

Question 10

where is the parietal lobe?

Answer 10

at the front (somatosensory cortex)

Question 11

what is the central sulcus?

Answer 11

a ‘valley’ that separates the somatosensory area and the motor area

Question 12

what does the brain stem do?

Answer 12

links to the spinal cord

Question 13

what does the cerebellum do?

Answer 13

important for coordinating of movement and balance

damage can result in poor coordination and clumsiness. skills such as writing would be difficult without it

Question 14

what is the parietal lobe (somatosensory area)?

Answer 14

where sensory information from the skin is represented

the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity

Question 15

where is the occipital lobe located?

Answer 15

at the back of the brain

Question 16

what is the occipital lobe?

Answer 16

visual cortex

Question 17

what does the occipital lobe do?

Answer 17

each eye sends information from the right/left visual field to the left/right visual cortex

this means damage to the left hemisphere, for example, can produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes

Question 18

what is the temporal lobe?

Answer 18

auditory area

Question 19

what does the temporal lobe do?

Answer 19

analyses speech based information

Question 20

what does damage to the temporal lobe produce?

Answer 20

may produce partial hearing loss

Question 21

where is broca’s area?

Answer 21

left frontal lobe

Question 22

what is broca’s area responsible for?

Answer 22

speech production

Question 23

what side of the brain is language restricted to?

Answer 23

left side

Question 24

what is broca’s aphasia?

Answer 24

slow, lacking in fluency speech

Question 25

what happened to patient tan (broca)?

Answer 25

went to hospital 21 years prior to meeting broca for paralysis in the right side of his body due to advancing gangrene

could only say ‘tan’

met broca in 1861 and died shorty after, but not before giving his consent for a post-mortem examination

autopsy showed a mysterious legion in his left frontal lobe which broca thought was the reason for his aphasia

caused broca’s aphasia

Question 26

what happened to lazare lelong (broca)?

Answer 26

experienced similar speech deficits to patient tan

autopsy showed the same damage in the left frontal lobe

Question 27

what did broca think the lower part of the frontal lobe was responsible for?

Answer 27

speech production

Question 28

where is wernicke’s area?

Answer 28

left temporal lobe

Question 29

what is wernicke’s area responsible for?

Answer 29

language comprehension

Question 30

what is wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 30

produces neologisms (nonsense words)

Question 31

when did wernicke study his patient?

Answer 31

1873

Question 32

what did wernicke’s patient’s autopsy show?

Answer 32

lesion in his left temporal lobe

Question 33

what did wernicke’s patient have wrong with him?

Answer 33

only spoke gibberish

Question 34

what are the strengths of localisation of brain function?

Answer 34

evidence from brain scans - Peterson et al (1988)

neurosurgical evidence - Dougherty et al (2002)

case study evidence (phineas gage etc)

Question 35

what did Peterson et al (1988) study?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

what did Dougherty et al (2002) study?

Answer 36

reported on 44 OCD patients who had undergone a cingulotomy. at post-surgical follow up after 32 weeks, a third had met the criteria for a successful response, and 14% a partial reponse

Question 37

what are the limitations of localisation of brain function?

Answer 37

Lashley (1950) suggests holistic theory

existence of plasticity - law of equipotentiality

Question 38

what is Lashley’s law of equipotentiality?

Answer 38

surviving brain circuits can ‘chip in’ so the same neurological action can be achieved