localisation

Question 1

What is the holistic theory?

Answer 1

All parts of the brain involved

Question 2

Who argued for localisation of function?

Answer 2

Broca and Wernicke

Question 3

What is localisation of function?

Answer 3

Different parts of brain perform different tasks

Question 4

What are hemispheres?

Answer 4

Brain divided into left and right
Some functions dominated by one hemisphere - lateralisation
Left hand body controlled by right hemisphere vice verse

Question 5

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 5

Covers brain
3mm thick
More developed than other animals

Question 6

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Answer 6

Frontal
Temporal
Occipital
Parietal

Question 7

What is the frontal lobe?

Answer 7

Motor area
Controls voluntary movement in opposite side of body
Damage = loss of control over fine movement

Question 8

What is the parietal lobe?

Answer 8

Somatosensory area
Sensory info from skin represented
Amount of sensory area devoted to body part denotes it’s sensitivity eg hands have the most

Question 9

What is the occipital lobe?

Answer 9

Visual area
Each eye sends info from right visual field to left visual cortex vice versa
Damage to left hemisphere = blindness in right visual field of both eyes

Question 10

What is the temporal lobe?

Answer 10

Auditory area
Analyses speech based info
Damage = hearing loss
Damage to Wernicke’s area = loss of ability to comprehend language

Question 11

Where is language restricted to?

Answer 11

Mostly left side of brain

Question 12

What is Broca’s area?

Answer 12

In left frontal lobe
Speech production
Damage = Broca’s aphasia
Slow laborious speech

Question 13

What is Wernicke’s area?

Answer 13

Left temporal lobe
Language comprehension
Damage = Wernicke’s aphasia
Nonsense words

Question 14

Evaluation - brain scan evidence

Answer 14

Petersen - used brain scans to demonstrate activity in Wernicke’s area during listening task
Activity in Broca’s area during reading task

Question 15

Evaluation - neurosurgical evidence

Answer 15

Dougherty - 44 OCD patients underwent cingulotomy
Lesioning of cingulate gyrus
Follow up - 1/3 met criteria for successful response to surgery

Question 16

Evaluation - Phineas Gage

Answer 16

Pole took out most of his frontal lobe
Calm and reserved into rude and quick tempered
Frontal lobe involved in mood regulation

Question 17

Evaluation - Lashley’s research

Answer 17

Cognitive functions are holistic
Removed up to 50% of cortex of rats that learnt a maze
No area more important than others
Process required every part of cortex
Learning is too complex to be localised

Question 18

Evaluation - plasticity

Answer 18

Brain can reorganise itself to recover lost function
Law of equipotentiality - surviving brain circuits help out
Brain works as whole unit