Brain and Brain injury

Question 1

Frontal Lobe

Answer 1

Vital to consciousness and uniquely human functions (e.g., spoken language)
Located behind the forehead
Functions: memory, judgment, abstract thought, creativity, social appropriateness, voluntary movement
Most common site for brain injury
Damage effects: loss of movement, speech difficulty, social behavior changes

Question 2

Parietal Lobe

Answer 2

Located in the upper back skull
Processes sensory information (touch, taste, temperature)
Functions: perception of touch, pressure, pain, heat, cold, tension
Helps judge size, shape, distance, and interpret symbols (language, math, codes, puzzles)/’
Damage may cause sensory dysfunction

Question 3

Occipital Lobe

Answer 3

Responsible for vision interpretation
Functions: distance, depth perception, color recognition, object and face recognition, movement tracking, memory information
Contains four sections for different visual functions
Linked to vision disorders and possibly epilepsy

Question 4

Temporal Lobe

Answer 4

Located near ear level in the skull
Functions: long-term memory, visual and sound processing, object and language recognition
Dysfunction may cause mental issues

Question 5

Broca’s Area (Frontal Lobe)

Answer 5

Formulates language
Discovered in 1861
Damage results in slurred, slow speech but preserved understanding

Question 6

Wernicke’s Area (Temporal Lobe)

Answer 6

Responsible for speech comprehension
Discovered in 1876
Damage results in speech that doesn’t make sense

Question 7

Limbic System (Temporal Lobe)

Answer 7

Controls motivation, emotion, learning, and memory
Influences states like sexual arousal, anxiety, and appetite

Question 8

Cerebellum

Answer 8

Located at the back of the head above the spinal cord
Controls physical movement, coordination, eye movement, vision
Contains 80% of the brain’s neurons but only 10% of its weight
Damage mostly affects movement

Question 8

Brainstem

Answer 8

Connects the brain to the spinal cord
Three parts: Midbrain, Pons, Medulla Oblongata

Question 9

Brain Injury and Its Effects

Answer 9

Brain injuries can lead to cognitive, emotional, and motor impairments.
The severity of impairment depends on the location and extent of damage
Common causes: trauma, stroke, infections, tumors
Frontal lobe injuries may result in personality changes, impaired judgement, and speech difficulties.
Damage to the occipital lobe may cause vision problems, including blindness or hallucinations
Parietal lobe damage affects spatial awareness and perception.
Temporal lobe injuries can lead to memory loss and language deficits

Question 10

Phineas Gage Case Study (1848)

Answer 10

Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who survived a severe brain injury when a metal rod pierced his skull.
Damage primarily affected his frontal lobe
After the accident, Gage exhibited drastic personality changes, including impulsivity, aggression, and lack of social appropriateness
His case provided early evidence that the frontal lobe plays a crucial role in personality and decision-making.
Modern neuroscience continues to study his case to understand brain function and recovery from injury.