localisation of funtion Flashcards
what is the localisation of function?
where different areas in the brain are responsible for behaviour and processes, mirrored in hemispheres of the brain
What is cortical specialisation?
localisation of function
what is the holistic theory?
the entire brain is involved in all thoughts and action
what half of the brain controls the left side of the body?
the right hemisphere
what does the left hemisphere control?
the right half of the body
what is the outer layer of the hemispheres called?
the cerebral cortex
how thick is the cerebral cortex and what colour is it and why?
3mm, grey due to the position of cell bodies
what are the four lobes the cerebral cortex subdivides into?
frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
where is the motor area found?
the back of the frontal lobes
what does the motor area do?
controls voluntary movement by processing information and sending signals no muscles
what happens if there is damage to the motor area?
loss of control of finer movements
where is the somatosensory area?
front of the parietal lobes
what does the somatosensory area do?
the internal representation of sensory information from the skin (the bigger the area dedicated in the area the more sensitive)
what happens if there is damage to the somatosensory area?
lack of feelings in specific areas of the body
where is the visual area?
the occipital lobes
what does the visual area do?
process information from the eyes (right visual field=left hemisphere) and each part processes different information e.g. colour
what happens if there is damage to the visual area?
blindness in a field of vision
where is the auditory area found?
the temporal lobes
what does the auditory area do?
analyses acoustic information
what happens if there is damage to the auditory area?
partial hearing loss
where is Broca’s area found
left frontal lobe (in most people language is restricted to the left side of the brain
what is Broca’s area responsible for?
speech production
what happens if there is damage to Broca’s area?
broca’s aphasia: slow speech, laborious and lacking fluency often only a few words can be said
where is Wernicke’s area
left temporal love
what is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
language comprehension
what happens if there is damage to Wernicke’s area?
neologisms (nonsense words) and unable to understand what is said to them
How did Peterson et al show different areas of the brain have different functions?
Using brain scanning to demonstrate how Wernicke’s area was active during listening tasks whilst Broca’s was active in reading aloud tasks?
How did Tulving et al show different areas of the brain have different functions?
semantic and episodic memory are in different areas of the prefrontal cortex
What did Walter freeman do and why?
developed lobotomies which served connections in the frontal lobe (cingulate gyrus) to try to control aggressive behaviour
When were cingulotomies used?
in severe cases of OCD and depression
Describe Dougherty et al’s study and findings
assessed 44 OCD patients who had a cingulotomy after 32 weeks and 33% met the criteria for a successful response and 14% for a partial response
describe the Phineus Gage case study
a 25-year-old rail worker who had a three-foot pole blasted through his head which took most of his left frontal lobe, he then became a quick-tempered and rude person, this suggests the frontal lobe is involved in the regulation of mood.
Describe the case study of Wernicke’s patient
they could speak but couldn’t understand what was said to him and what he said was nonsense
describe the case study of Broca’s patient
they could hardly speak but could understand speech
Describe Lashley’s research which opposes lateralisation
Lashley believed that higher cognitive function is distributed more holistically, He removed 10-50% of the cortex of rats who were leaning a maze and found no area was more important than another in the rats’ ability to solve the maze
