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Biopsychology - Brain Flashcards

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1
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2
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What is meant by localisation of function?

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Localisation of function is the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes, or activities.

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3
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What is the motor area and what does it do?

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The motor area is a region of the frontal lobe involved in regulating movement.

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4
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What is the somatosensory area and its function?

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The somatosensory area is a region of the parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as touch.

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5
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What is the visual area and what does it do?

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The visual area is a part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information.

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6
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What is the auditory area and where is it located?

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The auditory area is located in the temporal lobe and concerned with the analysis of speech-based information.

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7
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What is Broca’s area responsible for?

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Broca’s area is an area of the frontal lobe in the left hemisphere responsible for speech production.

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8
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What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?

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Wernicke’s area is a region in the temporal lobe (in the left hemisphere) responsible for understanding language.

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9
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What did Broca and Wernicke discover in the 19th century?

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They discovered that specific areas of the brain are associated with particular physical and psychological functions, supporting the localisation theory.

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10
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What does localisation theory suggest?

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It suggests that if a certain area of the brain becomes damaged (through illness or injury), the function associated with that area will also be affected.

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11
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How is the brain divided?

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The brain is divided into two symmetrical halves called left and right hemispheres.

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12
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What does the cerebral cortex do?

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It covers the inner parts of the brain and is involved in higher mental functions. It appears grey due to the location of cell bodies (hence “grey matter”).

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13
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What does the left hemisphere control?

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It controls the right side of the body and is dominant in language for most people.

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14
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Where is the motor area located and what is its function?

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It is located at the back of the frontal lobe and controls voluntary movement on the opposite side of the body.

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15
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What happens if the motor area is damaged?

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Damage to this area may result in loss of control over fine motor movements.

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16
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Where is the somatosensory area and what does it do?

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Located at the front of both parietal lobes, it processes sensory information from the skin (touch, heat, pressure).

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17
Q

What is the visual area and where is it found?

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The visual area is in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain and processes visual information from the eyes.

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18
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What happens if the visual area is damaged?

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Damage to the left hemisphere can produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes.

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19
Q

Where is the auditory area and what does it do?

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Located in the temporal lobe, it analyses speech-based information.

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20
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What happens if the auditory area is damaged?

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It may produce partial hearing loss or affect the ability to comprehend language depending on the extent of damage.

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21
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What is Broca’s area and what happens if it’s damaged?

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Located in the left frontal lobe, it’s responsible for speech production. Damage causes Broca’s aphasia — slow, laborious speech lacking fluency.

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22
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What is Wernicke’s area and what happens if it’s damaged?

A

Located in the left temporal lobe, it’s responsible for language comprehension. Damage causes Wernicke’s aphasia — fluent but meaningless speech with nonsense words (neologisms).

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23
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What do brain scans show about localisation?

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Petersen et al. (1988) found Wernicke’s area active during listening and Broca’s during reading. Tulving et al. (1994) found semantic and episodic memories are in different parts of the prefrontal cortex.

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24
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What do these findings suggest?

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These findings support localisation of function, as specific areas are active for specific tasks.

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25
What does neurosurgical evidence suggest about localisation?
Surgically removing or destroying brain areas can control behaviours, e.g., treating extreme OCD or depression. Dougherty et al. (2002) found one-third of OCD patients improved after cingulotomy.
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What does this support?
It strongly supports the idea that behaviours are localised and linked to specific brain regions.
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How does the case of Phineas Gage support localisation?
After a metal rod damaged his frontal lobe, Gage’s personality changed — from calm and reserved to quick-tempered and rude. This suggests the frontal lobe is involved in mood regulation and personality.
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What did Lashley find in 1950 about localisation?
He removed areas of rats’ cortex while they learned a maze. No area was proven more important than another — all parts seemed equally involved.
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What does Lashley’s research suggest?
It challenges localisation theory and supports the holistic view — higher cognitive functions like learning may be distributed.
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How does plasticity challenge localisation?
When the brain is damaged, it can reorganise itself to recover functions — called functional recovery. This suggests other parts can take over, which contradicts strict localisation.
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What is meant by plasticity?
Plasticity (also called neuroplasticity or cortical remapping) describes the brain’s tendency to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning.
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What is functional recovery?
Functional recovery is a form of plasticity. After damage (e.g., trauma), the brain redistributes or transfers functions to undamaged areas.
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What does it mean to say the brain is ‘plastic’?
It means the brain can change throughout life by forming new neural connections, especially in response to learning or experience.
34
What research supports plasticity in taxi drivers?
Maguire et al. (2000) found that London taxi drivers had more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus (a part linked to spatial and navigational skills) than a matched control group. This difference was positively correlated with time spent as a taxi driver.
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What other research supports plasticity?
Draganski et al. (2006) found changes in brain structure of medical students in the posterior hippocampus and parietal cortex after their exams, compared to before.
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When does functional recovery occur?
It occurs after trauma like strokes or injuries, where the brain is able to rewire itself to compensate for damaged areas.
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What happens in the brain during recovery?
Unused areas of the brain are activated. The brain rewires by forming new synaptic connections and using secondary neural pathways.
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What structural changes occur during functional recovery?
• Axonal sprouting: Growth of new nerve endings connecting with other undamaged nerve cells • Reformation of blood vessels • Recruitment of homologous (similar) areas on the opposite side of the brain
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What might happen in functional recovery if Broca’s area is damaged?
The same area on the opposite side of the brain may take over to help regain speech function.
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What is a practical application of plasticity research?
Understanding plasticity has led to neurorehabilitation (e.g., movement therapy, electrical stimulation) to support recovery after brain injury.
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What is a negative of brain plasticity?
Sometimes the brain rewires in a maladaptive way. For example, 60–80% of amputees experience phantom limb syndrome — unpleasant sensations due to reorganisation in the somatosensory cortex.
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How does age affect plasticity?
Plasticity tends to reduce with age. However, studies show it can still occur with effort and practice — for example, Bezzola et al. (2012) found motor cortex changes in 40–60-year-olds after golf training.
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What support exists from animal studies?
Hubel and Wiesel sewed one eye shut of a kitten and found the visual cortex continued processing information from the open eye — evidence of plasticity.
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What is the concept of cognitive reserve?
It suggests that a person’s educational attainment can influence recovery. Schneider et al. (2014) found that 40% of patients with more than 16 years of education recovered fully from traumatic brain injury, compared to 10% of those with less than 12 years.
45
What is the relevance of London cab drivers to plasticity?
London taxi drivers undergo extensive spatial training, and brain scans showed more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus — the longer they were drivers, the greater the structural difference.
46
What does the case of Gabby Giffords show?
After being shot in the head, Gabby Giffords recovered her ability to walk and speak through months of physical therapy — showing the brain’s ability to rewire itself after trauma.
47
What is hemispheric lateralisation?
The idea that the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain are functionally different, and that certain mental processes and behaviours are mainly controlled by one hemisphere rather than the other.
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What is split-brain research?
A series of studies involving epileptic people who had experienced surgical separation of the hemispheres of the brain. This allowed researchers to investigate the extent to which brain function is lateralised.
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What did Sperry (1968) study?
Sperry studied a group of individuals who had undergone commissurotomy, where the corpus callosum and other tissues connecting the hemispheres were cut to control epileptic seizures.
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What was the aim of Sperry’s research?
To see the extent to which the two hemispheres were specialised for certain functions, and whether they performed tasks independently.
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What was the procedure used in Sperry’s split-brain experiments?
Patients were shown images to one visual field at a time (left or right). The information was only processed by the opposite hemisphere. Because their corpus callosum was severed, the information could not be shared between hemispheres.
52
What happened when an object was shown to the left visual field (processed by the right hemisphere)?
The patient could not name it verbally, because language is processed in the left hemisphere, and the two hemispheres couldn’t communicate. However, they could select the object with their left hand.
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What happened when the same object was shown to the right visual field (processed by the left hemisphere)?
The patient could describe it verbally or write it down — because the left hemisphere controls language.
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What did Sperry conclude?
That language is lateralised to the left hemisphere, and the right hemisphere, while unable to speak, could still identify and process objects in other ways (e.g. drawing or touching).
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What is a strength of the split-brain methodology?
Sperry’s studies used highly specialised and standardised procedures. The fixation point and rapid presentation ensured information was only processed by one hemisphere. This added to the validity of findings.
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What is the theoretical significance of Sperry’s work?
It started a debate about the nature of consciousness. Some researchers believe the two hemispheres form a dual consciousness, while others believe both hemispheres form a unified consciousness in normal brains.
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What are issues with generalising Sperry’s findings?
The research involved 11 patients with a history of epileptic seizures — which may have caused unique brain changes. Also, all participants had undergone surgery, limiting generalisability.
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Why might differences between hemispheres be overstated?
Sperry’s research suggests one hemisphere is completely dominant for some functions (e.g. language). However, modern neuroscience shows the two hemispheres are more integrated and constantly communicate.
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What does the right hemisphere specialise in that the left doesn’t?
Visual and spatial tasks, like drawing. When a picture is shown to the left visual field (right hemisphere), patients could draw it better with their left hand than with their right.
60
Who was Kim Peek and why is he significant?
A natural “split-brain” individual (though he didn’t have surgery). He had amazing memory and cognitive abilities but also showed left hemisphere dominance for language and right hemisphere strength for visual skills — supporting the idea of lateralisation.
61
What is Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)?
A method used to measure brain activity while a person is performing a task. It works by detecting changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur due to increased neural activity in specific brain areas.
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What is an Electroencephalogram (EEG)?
A record of the tiny electrical impulses produced by the brain’s activity, measured via electrodes placed on the scalp. EEGs help diagnose conditions like epilepsy and sleep disorders.
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What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?
Brainwaves that are triggered by specific events. They are extracted from EEG recordings using statistical averaging techniques to isolate responses to particular stimuli.
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What is a Post-Mortem Examination?
The analysis of a person’s brain after death, usually done to examine structural abnormalities or damage that might explain behaviour during life.
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How does fMRI work?
fMRI detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur when brain areas are active. More active areas use more oxygen. fMRI produces 3D images showing which brain areas are involved in specific tasks.
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What are the features of EEGs?
EEGs use electrodes on the scalp to detect electrical activity from neurons. The scan recording represents brainwave patterns. It is commonly used in diagnosing epilepsy and sleep disorders.
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How are ERPs used?
ERPs are EEGs that have been filtered to isolate responses to specific stimuli. Researchers present a stimulus repeatedly and use statistical averaging to remove background activity and reveal the brain’s specific response.
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What are post-mortem examinations used for?
They are used to examine the physical structure of the brain after death. Often, individuals studied had rare disorders, and researchers look for brain damage to explain unusual behaviour.
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What are the strengths of fMRI?
• High spatial resolution — can detect activity in areas as small as 1mm. • Produces detailed 3D images. • Non-invasive (no radiation or surgery).
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What are the weaknesses of fMRI?
• Poor temporal resolution — delay of around 5 seconds between brain activity and image. • Cannot show individual neuron activity — only changes in blood flow.
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What are the strengths of EEG?
• Useful in diagnosing conditions like epilepsy. • Helps understand brain rhythms like sleep stages. • High temporal resolution — real-time data.
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What are the weaknesses of EEG?
• Poor spatial resolution — cannot pinpoint exact source of activity. • Detects only general brain activity, not individual neurons or deep brain structures.
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What are the strengths of ERPs?
• Excellent temporal resolution — better than fMRI. • Can isolate specific responses to stimuli. • Helps understand cognitive processes like attention and perception.
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What are the weaknesses of ERPs?
• Requires many trials to get clear data. • Background noise and extraneous activity must be eliminated, which is difficult.
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What are the strengths of post-mortem examinations?
• Can provide a detailed look at deep brain structures. • Useful for early discoveries of brain areas related to language (e.g., Broca’s area).
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What are the weaknesses of post-mortem examinations?
• Causation can’t be confirmed — damage might not be linked to observed behaviour. • Ethical issues around consent, especially from patients with impairments.

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