Neurological Basis Flashcards
What is Neurolinguistics?
The study of the neuroanatomy, physiology, and biochemistry of language
What are neurons?
Neuron, or nerve cell basic unit or CNS
What is the central nervous system?
Brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system?
- Conducts impulses toward or away from the CNS
- 12 cranial nerves and 31 spinal nerves
What is the cerebellum?
- At base of brain
- Coordinates control of fine, complex motor activites
- Influences language processing and higher cognitive and emotional functions
The cerebellum helps monitor:
- Executive functioning- the ability to manage several cognitive tasks to reach a particular objective.
- Working memory
- Divided attention
What is the cerebrum?
- Largest portion of your brain, accounting for 40% of its weight
- Divided into left and right hemispheres
The prefrontal cortex is very important for:
Executive functioning, control, organization, and synthesis and motor information
What are the 4 lobes of the Brain?
frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
The frontal lobe’s main function:
-Reasoning, motor skills, higher level of cognition, expressive language
The parietal lobe’s main function:
-Processing tactile, sensory information such as pressure, touch, pain
The occipital lobe’s main function:
-Interpret visual stimuli information
The temporal lobe’s main function:
- Interpreting sounds, language we hear
- Hippocampus located in temporal lobe heavily associated with formation of memories
LEFT AND RIGHT HEMISPHERES:
- The left and right hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum
- Special functions are usually lateralized toward one hemisphere
Right Hemisphere—Dominant for:
- Ability to understand emotion, humor, jokes, figurative Language
- Visuospacial processing
ex: recognition of faces, pictures
Left Hemisphere—Dominant for:
- Step by step processing
- Math, calculations
- Lang-oral, written
What is heschl’s gyrus related to?
Auditory signals received in brainsteam
Heschl’s gyrus and surrounding areas
- Separate incoming info
- Differentiate significant linguistic information from insignificant noise
Linguistic input is further separated
- Linguistic imput is sent to temporal lobe for processing
- Paralinguistic imput sent to right temporal lobe
- Paralinguistic imput: intonation, stress, rate, rhythm
Broca’s area
programs the motor strip for speech movements
Wernicke’s area
is involved in the production of written and spoken language
Brocas and Wernickes area are
Connected by the arcuate fasciculus
Working Memory
- In Brocas and associated areas
- Holds a message during processing
- Controls attention
- Important for higher language and cognition tasks
Working memory is essential in:
- Acquisition of complex academic skills
- Acquisition of vocabulary and literacy skills
- Working memory is absolutely crucial to success in school