localisation of function in the brain

Question 1

what is the holistic theory

Answer 1

scientists generally supported the holistic theory of the brain
- all parts of the brain were involved in the processing of thought and action

Question 2

what is the localisation theory

Answer 2

in contrast Broca and Wernickle argued for localisation of function( referred to as cortical specialisation sometimes)

this is that the brain performs different tasks and are involved with different parts of the body

It therefore follows that if a certain areas of the brain becomes damaged through illness or injury, the function associated with that area will also be affected

Question 3

what is the brain divided into

Answer 3

the brain is divided into two symmetrical halves

the left and right hemispheres

Question 4

what is lateralisation

Answer 4

some of our physical and psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere

Question 5

what is activity on the left hand side of the body controlled by

Answer 5

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

Question 6

what is activity on the right hand side of the body controlled by

Answer 6

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

Question 7

what is the cerebral cortex

Answer 7

the outer layer of both hemispheres is the cerebral cortex (or cortex)

it is 3mm thick and is what separates us from other animals because the human cerebral cortex is more developed

Question 8

how does the cortex physical appearance

Answer 8

the cortex appears grey scale to the location of cell bodies

hence the phrase- “grey matter” to describe the surface appearance of the brain

Question 9

what is the cortex of both hemispheres divided into

Answer 9

the cortex of both hemispheres is sub- divided into four lobes which are names after the bones beneath lie:

• the frontal lobe
• the parietal lobe
• occipital lobe
• temporal lobe

each lobe is associated with different functions

Question 10

what is the function of the frontal lobe

Answer 10

at the back of the frontal lobe ( in both hemispheres) is the motor area which controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body

Question 11

what happens when you damage the back of the frontal lobe

Answer 11

damage to this area may result in a loss of control over fine movements

Question 12

what does the front of both parietal lobes do

Answer 12

the front of the parietal lobes is the somatosensory area which is separated from the motor area by a “valley”called the central sulcus

This is where the sensory info from the skin (too much heat e.t.c.) is represented

Question 13

what does the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denote

Answer 13

the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity

e.g. receptors for our face and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area

Question 14

what does the occipital lobe at the back of the brain do

Answer 14

the occipital lobe at the back of the brain is the visual area/ visual cortex

each eye sends info from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex

Question 15

what does damage to the occiptial lobe do

Answer 15

damage to the left hemisphere can lead to blindness to the right visual field of both eyes

Question 16

what does the temporal lobes do

Answer 16

the temporal lobes houses the auditory area, which analyses speech - based info

Question 17

what happens when the temporal lobes are damaged

Answer 17

damage may produce partial hearing

the more extensive the damage, the more extensive the loss

damage too specific area of the temporal lobe -“Wernickle’s area” may affect the ability to comprehend language

Question 18

where is the language area of the brain

Answer 18

language is restricted to the left side of the brain in most people

Question 19

what did Paul Broca identify in 1880s

Answer 19

in the 1880s Paul Broca identified a small area the left frontal lobe responsible for speech production

damage to this area causes Broca’s aphasia which is characterised bu speech that is slow, laborious and lacking fluency

e.g. Broca’s patients like “Tan” - Tan being the only word he could say

Question 20

what did Karl Wernickle identify in his patients

Answer 20

Karl Wernicke was describing patients who had o problem producing language but severe difficulties understanding it

e.g. speech produced was fluent but meaningless Wernicke identified a region (Wernicke’s area) in the left temporal lobe as being responsible for language comprehension which would result in Wernicke’s aphasia when damaged

Question 21

what does damage to Wernicke’s area result in

Answer 21

Wernicke’s aphasia

patients with this will often produce nonsense words (neologisms) as part of the content of their speech