Localisation of function in the brain

Question 1

localisation of function

Answer 1

the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes, or activates

Question 2

Holistic theory

Answer 2

all parts of the brain were involved in the processing of thought and action

Question 3

Localisation

Answer 3

different parts of the brain perform different tasks and are involved with different parts of the body

└if a certain area of the brain becomes damages, the function associated with that part of the brain will be damaged

Question 4

Localisation

people

Answer 4

└19th century

└Broca and Wernicke

Question 5

Hemispheres of the brain

Answer 5

└brain divided into two symmetrical halves
└left and right hemispheres
└activity on left hand side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere
└activity on right hand side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere

Question 6

What hemispheres control activity

Answer 6

└activity on left hand side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere
└activity on right hand side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere

Question 7

Cerebral cortex

Answer 7

└outer layer of both hemispheres
└separates us from other animals as is much more developed
└appears grey due to location of cells (grey matter)

Question 8

Areas in brain

list

Answer 8

Motor area
Somatosensory area
Visual area/cortex
Auditory area

Question 9

Motor area

location and function

Answer 9

└back of the frontal lobe in both hemispheres

└controls movement in the opposite side of the body
└damage to this area= loss of control over fine movements

Question 10

Somatosensory area

location and function

Answer 10

└front of the parietal lobes
└separated from motor area by the central sulcus

└processes sensory information such as touch

Question 11

Visual area/cortex

location and function

Answer 11

└occipital lobe at back of brain

└receives and processes visual information
└each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex
└damage to left hemisphere can produce blindness in part of right visual field in both eyes

Question 12

Auditory area

location and function

Answer 12

└in the temporal lobe

└analysis of speech based information
└damage may produce partial hearing loss
└damage to Wernicke’s area may affect ability to comprehend language

Question 13

The language area of the brain

parts

Answer 13

Broca’s area

Wernicke’s area

Question 14

Broca’s area
location and function
what happens if damaged

Answer 14

└area of the frontal lobe of the brain in the left hemisphere

└responsible for speech production

└damage= Broca’s aphasia (slow laborious speech that lacks fluency)

Question 15

Wernicke’s area
location and function
what happens if damaged

Answer 15

└area of the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere

└responsible for language comprehension

└damage= Wernicke’s aphasia (often produce nonsense words (neologisms) as part of the content of their speech)

Question 16

The language area of the brain

parts

Answer 16

Broca’s area

Wernicke’s area

Question 17

Broca’s area
location and function
what happens if damaged

Answer 17

└area of the frontal lobe of the brain in the left hemisphere

└responsible for speech production

└damage= Broca’s aphasia (slow laborious speech that lacks fluency)

Question 18

Wernicke’s area
location and function
what happens if damaged

Answer 18

└area of the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere

└responsible for language comprehension

└damage= Wernicke’s aphasia (often produce nonsense words (neologisms) as part of the content of their speech)

Question 19

Localisation of function in the brain
strengths
summary

Answer 19

Brain scan evidence of localisation - Petersen et al (1988) , Tulving et al (1994)
Neurosurgical evidence : Walter Freeman ,Dougherty et al (2002)
Case study evidence - Phinease Gage case study(1848)

Question 20

Localisation of function in the brain
strengths
Brain scan evidence of localisation

Answer 20

└Petersen et al (1988)
└used brain scans to demonstrate how Wernicke’s area was active during a listening task and Broca’s area was active during a reading task
└suggesting some areas of the brain have different functions
└Tulving et al (1994)
└study of long term memory
└semantic and episodic memories are located in different parts of the prefrontal cortex
└scientific evidence

Question 21

Localisation of function in the brain
strengths
Neurosurgical evidence

Answer 21

└the practice of surgically removing or destroying areas of the brain to control aspects of behaviour developed in the 1950s
└Walter Freeman developed lobotomy
└brutally sever connections in frontal lobe to try and control aggressive behaviour
└neurosurgery still used in extreme cases today
└OCD, depression
└Dougherty et al (2002)
└reported on 44 OCD patients that had a clingulotomy (lesions the cingulate gyrus)
└post-surgical follow up after 32 week= 1/3 successful response, 14% partial response
└the success of procedures like this suggests symptoms and behaviours associated with serious mental disorders are localised

Question 22

Localisation of function in the brain
strengths
Case study evidence

Answer 22

└Phinease Gage case study(1848)
└explosion on railway line building site caused a pole to go through his skill, mainly removed left frontal lobe
└personality: calm and reserved → rude and quick tempered
└suggests frontal lobe responsible for regulating mood