Localisation of function in the brain Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is localization of function?
The idea that specific functions (like movement or speech) are controlled by specific areas of the brain.
What is the alternative to localization of function?
The holistic view, where brain functions are spread out across larger or multiple brain areas.
What does the term “cortex” refer to?
The outer layer of the brain made of grey matter, where much of the brain’s processing happens.
What is the function of the visual cortex and where is it located?
Processes visual information; located in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain.
What happens if the visual cortex is damaged?
Can lead to cortical blindness, with vision loss in the opposite visual field.
Where are the motor cortex and somatosensory cortex located?
Motor cortex: Frontal lobe (plans and controls movement)
Somatosensory cortex: Parietal lobe (processes body sensations). Both are on opposite sides of the central sulcus.
What are the effects of damage to the motor cortex?
Loss of fine motor skills or paralysis on the opposite side of the body.
What are the effects of damage to the somatosensory cortex?
Loss of sensation, neglect syndrome, or agnosia (can’t recognize objects by touch).
Where is the auditory cortex and what does it do?
Located in the temporal lobes; processes sound from both ears.
What is Broca’s area responsible for?
Speech production, located in the left frontal lobe.
What is Broca’s aphasia?
Difficulty producing fluent speech; speech is slow, effortful, and grammatically incorrect.
What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
Understanding language, located in the left temporal lobe, near the auditory cortex.
What is Wernicke’s aphasia?
Fluent but meaningless speech and difficulty understanding language.
What is hemispheric lateralization?
The idea that some brain functions are specialized to either the left or right hemisphere.
Which hemisphere is typically dominant for language?
The left hemisphere (Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas).
What are contralateral functions in the brain?
Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body (e.g., right brain → left body movement).
What did Sperry’s split-brain research show?
Provided evidence for hemispheric specialization by studying patients with severed corpus callosum.
What did Lashley’s research in 1925 suggest?
Brain functions like memory are distributed, not localized; called the principle of equipotentiality.
What is the “homunculus”?
A 3D model showing how much sensory and motor cortex is devoted to different body parts — e.g., hands and lips have larger areas.
What does recent fMRI research say about localization?
Some functions (like movement) are highly localized, but complex functions (like language or personality) are more distributed.
