Localisation Of Function

Question 1

What is the holistic theory of the brain

Answer 1

That all parts of the brain were involved in all thoughts and actions

Question 2

How did phineas gage question the holistic theory

Answer 2

When working on train line pole went through frontal lobe and only change to gages behaviour was social skills

Question 3

Died of localisation of function

Answer 3

Localisation is the concept of certain areas being linked with specific functions and damage to an area affecting the associated function

Question 4

What are the right and left hemispheres joined by

Answer 4

Corpas callosum

Question 5

What is corpas collosum made from

Answer 5

Bundles of nerve fibres

Question 6

The function of the corpus callosum is to

Answer 6

Allow communication between the hemispheres of the brain

Question 7

What is meant by the brain being contralateral

Answer 7

The function on one side of the body is controlled by the opposite hemisphere of the brain

Question 8

An example of contralateral

Answer 8

The movement of left hand is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain

Question 9

The cortex of a brain is like a tea cosy, why?

Answer 9

It’s a thin 3mm thick layer, covering inner parts of the brain. It looks grey and is more developed in other animals

Question 10

What are the 4 lobes in each hemisphere

Answer 10

Frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal

Question 11

Where is the motor cortex located

Answer 11

At the back of the frontal lobe

Question 12

Where is the somatosensory cortex located

Answer 12

At the front of the parietal lobe

Question 13

Where are the visual centres located

Answer 13

Occipital lobe

Question 14

Where are the auditory centres located

Answer 14

Temporal lobe

Question 15

Role of motor cortex

Answer 15

Controls voluntary movements, each consecutive area controls a consecutive body part

Question 16

What happens if motor cortex is damaged

Answer 16

Loss of fine motor skills

Question 17

Role of somatosensory cortex

Answer 17

We’re sensory information on the skin is processed and represented in the brain, senses events in the different areas of the cortex mainly hands and face

Question 18

Role of visual centre

Answer 18

Receives inputs from visual fields of eyes and processing visual info such as colour, shape and movement

Question 19

What happens if visual centres are damaged

Answer 19

Damage to one hemisphere of the brain can lead to blindness in a visual field of both eyes

Question 20

Role of auditory centres

Answer 20

They analyse speech based information

Question 21

What happens if the auditory centres are damaged

Answer 21

Can lead to hearing loss or damage to wernickes area which can affect language understanding

Question 22

Where are the language centres located

Answer 22

Left hemisphere

Question 23

Features of language centres

Answer 23

They are localised and lateralised

Question 24

Role of Broca’s area

Answer 24

Speech production

Question 25

Role of wernickes area

Answer 25

Language comprehension

Question 26

What is brocas aphasia

Answer 26

Damage to the broca which causes speech to slow and lack fluency

Question 27

What is wernickes aphasia

Answer 27

Damage to the wernickes causing patients to become unable to comprehend speech meaning it has no meaning

Question 28

Strengths of localisation of function

Answer 28

• supportive evidence from Dougherty and phinease gage

- research uses scanning techniques which are scientific

Question 29

How does Peterson’s study support localisation

Answer 29

• brain scan using separate listening and reading tasks showed brocas and wernickes are independent
• bc only one part lights up to specific role
• dif parts have dif functions

Question 30

Weaknesses of localisation of function

Answer 30

• non-supportive evidence from lashley and dick and trembla

- plasticity

Question 31

What does dick and tremblays research show

Answer 31

• modern scans show language isn’t completely localised
• finding show language streams across the cortex suggesting a holistic function
• poor consistency between results

Question 32

What does lashleys research suggest about localisation

Answer 32

• he removed 10-50% of rats cortex for a learning task
• no area of the cortex was important for completion of task
• brain worked holistically with percentage of brain removed not affection learning task

Question 33

What is plasticity

Answer 33

It involves other parts of the brain taking over different functions eg after damage, the brain sometimes reorganises itself to recover lost functions