Localisation of function

Question 1

What is localisation of function?

Answer 1

Specific functions such as movement, speech and memory are performed in distinct regions of the brain (localised)

Question 2

What is the opposite view of localisation of function?

Answer 2

The opposite view is that the brain acts holistically to perform functions

Question 3

What are the two halves that the brain is divided into called?

Answer 3

The left and right hemisphere

Question 4

What is the outer layer of both hemispheres called?

Answer 4

The outer layer of both hemispheres is called the cerebral cortex, a 3mm layer covering the inner parts of the brain

Question 5

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 5

Surface layer of the brain referred to as grey matter (contains mostly cell bodies), 2-4mm thick and folded for extra surface area for processing. White matter in the brain is mostly myelinated axons

Question 6

What is the occipital lobe?

Answer 6

The brains visual processing centre, each hemispheres occipital lobe receives information from the contralateral visual field

Question 7

What could damage to the occipital lobe cause?

Answer 7

Leads to partial or complete loss of vision called cortical blindness. Damage to one cortex can lead to loss of vision in the opposite visual field

Question 8

What lobe is the motor cortex in?

Answer 8

The motor cortex is at the back of the frontal lobe

Question 9

What is the motor cortex?

Answer 9

Area of the brain responsible for voluntary motor movements (eg. deciding to move your arm). Contralateral

Question 10

What could damage to the motor cortex cause?

Answer 10

Injuring the motor cortex results in the loss of muscle function or after severe trauma, paralysis. This occurs on the opposite side of the body to the damage due to contralaterality

Question 11

What lobe is the somatosensory cortex in?

Answer 11

The somatosensory cortex is at the front of the parietal lobe

Question 12

What is the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 12

Area of the brain responsible for receiving sense impressions from around the body. Contralateral

Question 13

What could damage to the somatosensory cortex cause?

Answer 13

Loss of sensation, ignoring areas of the body (neglect syndrome), loss of ability in recognising objects by their feel (agnosia). Effects opposite side to damage (contralateral)

Question 14

What lobe is the auditory cortex in?

Answer 14

The temporal lobe

Question 15

What is the auditory cortex?

Answer 15

Receives and processes sound information from ears. Located in both hemispheres, located at the top of the temporal lobe

Question 16

What could damage to the auditory cortex cause?

Answer 16

Receives and processes sound information from ears. Located in both hemispheres, located at the top of the temporal lobe

Question 17

What can damage to the auditory cortex cause?

Answer 17

Trauma to the auditory cortex can lead to cortical deafness. Patient is unable to hear, but no damage to the structure of the ear

Question 18

What lobe is Broca’s area in?

Answer 18

The left frontal lobe

Question 19

What is Broca’s area?

Answer 19

Broca’s area is responsible for speech production

Question 20

How was the function of Broca’s area discovered?

Answer 20

Discovered after case study and post mortem of Tan

Question 21

What can damage to Broca’s area cause?

Answer 21

Broca’s aphasia (also known as expressive/motor aphasia). Difficulty producing fluent speech, speech is slow and effortful. Speech has missing words leading to poor grammar

Question 22

What lobe is Wernicke’s area in?

Answer 22

The top of the temporal lobe

Question 23

What is Wernicke’s area?

Answer 23

Wernicke’s area is responsible for speech comprehension

Question 24

How was the function of Wernicke’s area discovered?

Answer 24

Discovered after case studies of individuals who could produce fluent sounding speech that made little sense

Question 25

What can damage to Wernicke’s area cause?

Answer 25

Wernicke’s aphasia. Difficulty understanding speech or written language, speech sounds fluent but lacks meaning/ nonsense words.

Question 26

What is damage to both Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area?

Answer 26

Global aphasia, the inability to produce or understand speech