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PSY224 - Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience (PART TWO) > Week Five - Lateralisation & Language > Flashcards

Week Five - Lateralisation & Language Flashcards

1
Q

What does contralateral control mean?

A

The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa.

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2
Q

How do the brain hemispheres communicate?

A

Through a large band of fibres known as the corpus callosum

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3
Q

Is there a dominant hemisphere?

A

Yes. Right handed people are left side dominant. However, not always the case.

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4
Q

Is there a sense that isn’t contralaterally controlled?

A

Yes, sense of smell (olfaction)

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5
Q

What anatomical directions refer to the top, bottom, front and back of the brain?

A 
Top = Dorsal
Bottom = Ventral
Front = Rostral
Back = Caudal
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6
Q

What do asymmetries in the brain allow insight into?

A

Potential differences in function

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7
Q

What do we see in regards to the LH and RH in asymmetries of the brain?

A

LH: Enlargement of Wernicke’s area and parts of the Thalamus. Neurons tend to have longer dendrites that RH neurons.

RH: Enlargement of the anterior portion

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8
Q

What parts of the corpus callosum connect the front of the brain and the back of the brain?

A 
Genu = front (prefrontal cortex)
Splenium = back (parietal, occipital and temporal)
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9
Q

What are ipsilateral connections?

A

Connections that stay within the same hemisphere - do not cross the corpus callosum.

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10
Q

What are Homotopic connections?

A

Connections/structures that cross over the corpus callosum to the same region in the opposite hemisphere

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11
Q

What are Heterotopic connections?

A

Connections/structures that cross over the corpus callosum to a different region of the opposite hemisphere

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12
Q

What is the main consensus on the study regarding synchrony across the corpus callosum?

A

The synchrony between neurons firing is facilitated by the connection across the corpus callosum. Those with severed CC are non synchronised.

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13
Q

What are the 4 other commissures (not including CC)

A

Anterior: Plays a role in - olfactory pathway, pain sensation and connects temporal regions.

Habenular: Plays a role in - pineal gland, epithalamus (hormonal)

Posterior: Plays a role in - pupillary light reflexes, pineal gland, and epithalamus

Hippocampal: Connects the two halves of the hippocampus through the fornix

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14
Q

Explain the basis of the Myers and Sperry experiment on cats?

A

They wanted to restrict visual information to 1 hemisphere - by cutting CC or optic chiasm and then blindfolding one eye.

Results:
Cats with only one section cut (or none) learnt the task as normal and retained the task perfectly when the blindfolded eye switched.

Cats with both sections cut also learnt the task as normal but they showed no retention when switching the blindfolded eye (basically had to learn the whole task again)

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15
Q

What was the conclusion of the Myers study?

A

The cat forebrain has the capacity to act as two separate forebrains, each capable of independent learning and of storing its own memories

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16
Q

Cutting the corpus callosum in humans outcomes?

A

Remarkably effective in controlling seizures (however, there were side effects)

17
Q

What can still be transferred if we SPARE the genu of the CC?

A

Transfer of higher order semantic information is spared.

18
Q

If we SPARE the splenium what is not disrupted (what is disrupted though)?

A

Visual identification is NOT disrupted but: Tactile is

19
Q

What occurs if the posterior portion of the CC (including splenium) is damaged?

A

Disruption of transfer of visual, tactile and auditory information

20
Q

Explain the process of split-brain patients

A

Right visual input (i.e., word) goes to left hemisphere and able to say it, could pick it with right hand (but not left)

Left visual input goes to right hemisphere and unable to say it but able to recognise if given the prop, object etc with left hand (but not right hand)

21
Q

What are the face recognition disparities between the hemispheres?

A 
LH = better at recognising self
RH = better at recognising familiar others
22
Q

What is the RH specialised for?

A

Many aspects of visuospatial processing:

  • mental rotation, spatial matching, mirror image task
  • better able to draw/copy a 3D figure
  • superior block design performance
23
Q

How do we tests language lateralisation? Define them.

A

Sodium Amytal Test (Wada Test) - The anaesthetisation of the ipsilateral hemisphere to allow the abilities of the contralateral hemisphere to be assessed. When injection is on the dominant speech hemisphere (left), patient is totally mute (for a short time). Done prior to surgery so that surgeon takes care not to damage the area where speech originates from.

Dichotic Listening Task - Each ear is presented with different words/phrases/numbers. The side that performs the best is dominant.

Brain Imaging - Assessing where brain lights up during language tasks

24
Q

What types of language does the RH have a role in?

A

Anything to do with visualisation eg. rhythm, metaphors

25
Q

Which area is responsible for language production?

A

Broca’s Area

26
Q

Which area is responsible for language comprehension?

A

Wernicke’s Area.

27
Q

Mostly LH lateralized areas surround what?

A

The Sylvian fissure

28
Q

What is Anomia?

A

Difficulty finding words

29
Q

What is Dysarthria?

A

Difficulty controlling muscles used in speech

30
Q

What is Apraxia?

A

Impairment of motor planning and programming of speech articulation

31
Q

What is Aphasia?

A

Deficit in language comprehension or production

32
Q

What is Broca’s Aphasia?

A 
Inability to produce speech.
Can experience these problems:
- Spontaneously speaking
- Repeating
- Listening for comprehension
33
Q

What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?

A

Speech comprehension problems

34
Q

Is lateralisation present in only humans?

A

No. It is present in many species.

35
Q

What are the theories of Hemispheric Lateralisation?

A

Motor Theory
Linguistic Theory
Analytic-Synthetic Theory

36
Q

What does the Motor Theory posit?

A

That the left hemisphere is specialised for fine motor movement (speech is an example, eg. moving mouth and tongue to speak).

Limitation: It does not suggest why motor function became lateralized in the first place

37
Q

What is the Linguistic Theory based on?

A

The idea that the primary function of the left hemisphere is language.

38
Q

What does the Analytic-Synthetic Theory suggest?

A

That there are two fundamentally different modes of thinking:
An Analytic mode (LH) and Synthetic mode (RH) and the neural circuitry for each is fundamentally different (segregated to each hemisphere due to evolution)

The LH (AM) = Operates in a logical, sequential, analytical fashion.

The RH (SM) = Makes immediate, overall synthetic judgements.

However, vague and difficult to test empirically.

PSY224 - Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience (PART TWO) (8 decks)

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