BioPsych Flashcards
(26 cards)
Outline Features of The Motor Cortex
Located in the Frontal Lobe (both hemispheres)
Generates voluntary movements
Contra-laterally organised
Somatotopically Organised
Outline Features of the Somatosensory Cortex
Located in the Parietal Lobe
Sensory events in parts of body (touch,pressure,pain,temp)
Contralateral Organisation
Somatotopic Organisation
Outline Features of the visual cortex
Located in the Occipital Lobe
nerve impulses from the retina transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve
Input from neighbouring control areas
Across both hemispheres with right hemisphere receiving input from left side of visual field and vice versa
Outline Features of Auditory Cortex
Temporal Lobes of Both Hemispheres
Auditory pathways in cochlea where sound waves converted to nerve impulses
Travel to brain stem-> thalamus->auditory cortex
Contralateral organisation
How does HM support Localisation of function?
Had both lobes of the hippocampus removed, suffered from anterograde amnesia. He could remember old memories but could not form new ones. No other part of personality affected, so functions must be in other parts of brain.
How can Phineas Gage support Localisation of Function?
Pole through eye damaged frontal lobe - personality, planning and social relations affected. This suggests some function is located in frontal lobe
How does Lashley (1920) contradict localisation of function?
Suggested functions such as learning spread across brain areas - calling it law of mass action.
Made lesions in different areas of rats brains - larger lesions affected maze learning more than smaller lesions despite being in same areas
What functions are specific to the left hemisphere?
Language
Which functions are specific to right hemisphere?
Spatial relationships
Recognition of emotions
Outline Broca’s area
Located in the posterior portion of left frontal lobe
Responsible for speech production
Outline Wernickes Area
Located in the Posterior portion of left temporal lobe
Responsible for language understanding
What is the arcade fasciculus?
Neural loop between broca’s area and wernickes area, if both areas damaged, can lead to global aphasia
How does Fink support Hemispheric Lateralisation?
Pet scans to identify which parts of brain active in visual processing task. When of were asked to focus on global elements of task, right hemisphere active ; finer detail, left hemisphere.
Shows different hemispheres responsible for different functions
How does Dronkers et al study on patient tan contradict hemispheric lateralisation?
MRI scans on Tans brain found a lesion in broca’s area however evidence also found to suggest other areas contributed to failure of speech production. Suggesting broca’s area is not solely responsible for
what does Szaflarski et al suggest about lateralisation?
Found most tasks generally become last lateralised in healthy adulthood, so conclusions around lateralisation of function need to take into account age and experience
Outline Findings Of Sperry’s Split Brain research in relation to verbal responses to language
Words projected to LVF (right hemisphere) were not recognised by pts, suggesting left hemisphere responsible for language
Outline Findings Of Sperry’s Split Brain research in relation to physical responses to language
Words projected to LVF with left half behind screen with objects - pts could select correct object but not report seeing it. Suggests right hemisphere has some language ability for understanding words if not for speech
Outline Findings Of Sperry’s Split Brain research in relation to matching abilities in responses to pictures
When different face presented to both hemispheres at same time, pts chose face presented to right hemisphere, suggesting right hemisphere responsible for visuospatial tasks
Evaluate Sperry’s Split Brain Research
Closely controlled, giving reliable results
Hard to generalise findings due to small sample (may have been effected by epileptic seizures)
Good validity due to combination of case studies and experiments
What is synaptogenesis?
New synapses formed, explosion in infancy
Define Brain Plasticity
Brains ability to change and adapt as a result of experience and new learning
What is Nerogenesis?
New neurons are grown, in infancy, responsible for growing brain with neurons
Synaptic Pruning
Process of synapse elimination typically between early adulthood and onset of puberty
What is functional recovery?
Brain adaptations as a result of trauma
