Localisation Of Function In The Brain Flashcards
who discovered that specific areas of the brain were associated with particular physical and psychological functions?
Broca and Wernicke
what is localisation of function?
different parts of the brain perform different tasks and are involved with different parts of the body
what does localisation of function suggest about the damage to the brain?
if a certain area of the brain becomes damages through illness or injury, the function associated with that area is also affected
what is the main part of the brain?
cerebum
what is lateralisation?
our physical and psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere
what is an example of lateralisation?
- left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere
- right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere
what is the outer layer of the brain called?
cerebral cortex
what are the 4 lobes called?
- frontal
- parietal
- occiptal
- temporal
where is the motor area located?
back of the frontal lobe, in both of the hemispheres
what is the role of the motor area?
controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body
what does damage to the motor area cause?
loss of control over fine movements
where is the somatosensory area located?
front of both parietal lobes
what is the somatosensory area separated from the motor area by?
the central sulcus
what is the role of the somatosensory area?
where sensory information from the skin is represented
the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part…
denotes its sensitivity
where is the visual area located?
occipital lobe
what is the role of the visual area?
- each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex
what would damage to the left hemisphere cause to the visual cortex?
produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes
where is the auditory area located?
temporal lobes
what is the role of the auditory area?
analyses speech-based information
what does damage to the auditory area cause?
partial hearing loss
- the more extensive the damage, the more extensive the loss
what are the language areas of the brain?
- Broca’s area
- Wernicke’s area
where is Broca’s area located?
left frontal lobe
what is Broca’s area responsible for?
speech production
what does damage to Broca’s area cause?
Broca’s aphasia
how is Broca’s aphasia characterised?
- speech is slow, laborious and lacking in fluency
- difficulty with prepositions and conjuctions
who was Broca’s most famous patient?
Tan, that was the only word he could say
where is Wernicke’s area located?
left temporal lobe
what is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
language understanding
what does damage to Wernicke’s area cause?
Wernicke’s aphasia
what is Wernicke’s aphasia?
nonsense words (neologisms) as part of the content of their speech
what are the evaluations for the localisation of function in the brain?
+ damage to areas of the brain have been linked to mental disorders
+ brain scans support the idea that many everyday brain functions are localised
- - challenged localisation theory, Karl Lashley
- - language may not be localised just to Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas
