post mortem

Question 1

A strength of post-mortem examinations is they facilitate investigation of deeper areas of
the brain

Answer 1

A strength of post-mortem examinations is they facilitate investigation of deeper areas of
the brain which EEGs and ERPs cannot reveal. Historically, they have provided vital evidence to help reveal and verify structural areas of the brain that are responsible for neural processing. For example, it was only after Louis Leborgne’s death that Paul Broca was able to
conduct the post-mortem examination which revealed damage to Broca’s area. This
subsequently triggered further research into this as an area localised for speech production.

Question 2

One limitation using post-mortem examinations is the post-mortem delay

Answer 2

One limitation using post-mortem examinations is the post-mortem delay between death and examination which can be up to 3 days. During this time interval, changes to the neuroanatomy of the brain may occur, which means that the findings at the time of the
examination may not have been present whilst the person was alive. A related problem involves the issue of causation. Any functional deficits experienced by the person may not
have been due to the damage revealed in the post-mortem examination, but to some
unrelated trauma or decay. For example, in Louis Leborgne’s case, his speech production deficits and Broca’s area damage may have had a co-incidental rather than causational link.