Localisation of Function in the Brain Flashcards
What is localisation?
refers to the idea that different parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviors, or that certain functions are localized to certain areas in the brain.
What is the cerebal cortex?
the outer layer of the brain. It is made up of the left and right hemipshere connected by a bundle of firbres called the corpus callosum
Where is the frontal lobe located?
The largest section, opposite end to the brain stem
Where is the parietal lobe located?
bottom section of the brain
Where is the temporal lobe located?
Top section of the brain
Where is the occipital lobe located?
the section of the brain above the brain stem
what is examined in the function of brain?
the functions within the brain can be examined in terms of the extent to which they are localised and the extent to which they are lateralised
What is hemisphere lateralisation?
the proposal that the let and right hemisphere are responsible for different behaviours, activities or process.
Where is the motor cortex located?
in the frontal lobe
Where is the somatosensory cortex located?
in the parietal lobe
Where is the visual cortex located?
in the occipital lobe
Where is the auditory cortex located?
the temporal lobe
Where is the Broca’s area located?
the frontal lobe
Where is the Wernicke’s area located?
the temporal lobe
What are the lateralised regions of the brain?
the Brocas area
Wernicke’s area
What are the localised regions of the brain?
auditory cortex
somatosensory cortex
visual cortex
motor cortex
What is the primary motor cortex reponsible for?
the generation of voluntary motor movements (i.e. sends neural messages to muscles via CNS.
Located in the frontal lobe
What hemispheres contain the motor cortex?
both hemispheres and the process of motor movements is contralateral
What does contralateral mean?
relating to the side of the body opposite to that on which a particular structure or condition occurs
the let hemisphere motor cortex controls movements in the right side of the body and vice versa
What would happen if an individual with an contraleral organised brain had a stroke?
damage to one side of the brain in this area will affect the control of movement on the opposite side of the body
what does it mean to be symptomatically organised?
point to point correspondence of an area of the body to a speciifc point on the CNS
each part of the body is controlled by a particular part of the motor corex
What does the primary somatosensory cortex do and where is it located?
detects sensory events arising from receptors in the different areas of the body.
located in the parietal lobe
What does the (secondary) somatosensory cortex do?
uses sensory information from the skin to produce sensations of touch, pressure, pain and temperature, which it then localizes to specific body regions.
What hemisphere has the somatosensory cortex?
both hemispheres, with the cortex on one side of the brain receiving sensory information from the opposite side of the body.
This means that, like the primary motor cortex, it is contralateral
How is the somatosensory cortex organised?
somatotopically organised meaning different parts of the somatosensory cortex deals with different parts of the body
Where is the primary visual centre located?
in the visual cortex in the occipital lobe of the brain
How does the primary visual centre produce images in the eyes?
visual processing begins in the retina where light enters and strikes the photo receptors. Nerve impulses from the retina are then transmitted to the brain via optic nerve for further interpretation
What hemisphere does the primary visual centre located in?
both hemisphere’s, where the right hemisphere receiving its input from the left-hand side of the visual field and vice versa.
This means it is largely contralateral
What happens if the primary visual centre is damaged?
can cause a loss of vision (cortical blindness) but visual perception also requires additional input from neighboring cortical areas and damage to these areas can lead to loss of specific areas of visual perception (i.e. prosopagnosia)
What is prosopagnosia?
loss of ability to recognize familiar faces or identify faces at all
Where is the auditory cortex located?
in the temporal lobes
What hemisphere is the auditory cortex in?
both hemispheres meaning the auditory process is contralateral with information from the right ear travelling primarily to the left and vice versa
How does the auditory cortex produce sound?
the auditory pathways begin in the cochlea in the inner ear where sound waves are converted to nerve impulses.
These travel to the brain stem where a basic decoding takes place before moving on to the thalamus and then finally the auditory cortex where the sound is recognized and interpreted
What happens if the auditory cortex is damaged?
produces difficulties in processing and understanding sounds rather than total deafness (i.e. inability to perceive a certain pitch)
