Localisation of function

Question 1

Localisation of function

Answer 1

the idea that different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions. When one area of the brain is damaged, the corresponding function is affected

Question 2

Functions of the left and right hemispheres

Answer 2

LH is associated with movement, vision, hearing, reading, writing and speaking
RH is associated with art, music and creativity
LH controls RHS of the body and vice versa

Question 3

Describe the cerebral cortex

Answer 3

Approximately 3mm thick and covers both hemispheres
More developed in humans than animals which makes us more cognitively developed

Question 4

Broca’s area

Answer 4

Located in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere
controls speech production
damage = broca’s aphasia (slow and influent speech)

Question 5

Wernicke’s area

Answer 5

located in the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere
controls speech comprehension
damage = wernicke’s aphasia (nonsense speech)

Question 6

Motor cortex

Answer 6

controls fine motor skills and voluntary movements
located at the back of the frontal lobe

Question 7

somatosensory cortex

Answer 7

located in parietal lobe
receives sensory info from the skin and controls involuntary movement
receptors for face and hands control over half of this area

Question 8

visual cortex

Answer 8

located in the occipital lobe
receives info from the eyes
damage to LH visual area causes blindness in right visual field of both eyes

Question 9

The brain

Answer 9

• part of the CNS
• 2 hemispheres
• contra-lateral (right hemi controls left side of body and vice versa)
• 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital
• outer layer = cerebral cortex

Question 10

frontal lobe

Answer 10

• controls personality, thinking, planning, social function
• contains motor and brocas area

Question 11

temporal lobe

Answer 11

• controls hearing
• contains wernickes area

Question 12

partietal lobe

Answer 12

• processes sensory info
• contains our knowledge of numbers and their relation
• controls our manipulation of objects
• contains somatosensory area

Question 13

occipital lobe

Answer 13

• processes visual information

Question 14

AO3

Answer 14

• brain scan evidence
• neurosurgical evidence
• case studies - phinease gage
• lashleys research

Question 15

brain scan evidence

Answer 15

Peterson
showed Broca’s area was active during reading tasks and Wernicke’s area was active during listening tasks
suggesting that different areas have different functions

Question 16

neurosurgical evidence

Answer 16

Dougherty
44 OCD patiens who had undergone a cingulotomy
32 weeks later- 1/3 met the criteria for a successful response to surgery, 14% for a partial response
-suggests symptoms & behaviours of mental disorders are localised

Question 17

case studies

Answer 17

phineas gage
got a metal pole through his head taking out a lot of the frontal lobe.
personality change from calm and reserved to quick tempered and rude
suggests frontal lobe may be responsible for regulating mood

Question 18

Lashleys research

Answer 18

remover 10-50% of the cortex in rats learning a maze
proven no area was more important than any other it the ability to learn the maze.
learning required every part of the cortex so skills requiring higher cognitive functions more holistic