Right Hemisphere Dysfunction

Question 1

Hemispheric Asymmetry

Answer 1

Right & left hemispheres are anatomically & functionally asymmetrical
Differences greatest in certain areas surrounding the sylvian fissure

Question 2

Sylvian Fissure Hemispheric Differences

Answer 2

Slightly longer in the left hemisphere than the right
Planum temporale is a part of the superior surface of superior temporal gyrus; area is longer on the left than the right for most people
Left temporal opercular region is larger & more infolded on left than right (Broca’s)

Question 3

Hemisphere Connections

Answer 3

Well-connected via corpus callosum

Contains more than 300 million axons (commissural fibers)

Question 4

Left Brain Characteristics:

Answer 4

Uses logic, detail oriented, facts rule, words & language, past & present, math & science, can comprehend, knowing/ acknowledges, order/pattern perception, knows object name, reality based, forms strategies, practical & safe

Question 5

Right Brain Characteristics:

Answer 5

uses feeling, “big picture” oriented, imagination rules, symbols & images, present & future, philosophy & religion, can “get it” (meaning), believes/appreciates, spatial perception, knows object’s function, fantasy based, present possibilities, impetuous & risk takers

Question 6

Left Hemisphere Language

Answer 6

Speaking aloud, auditory comprehension, naming, reading comprehension, reading aloud, writing

Question 7

Left Hemisphere Constructions

Answer 7

Internal detail

Question 8

Left Hemisphere Calculation

Answer 8

Arithmetic processing

Question 9

Left Hemisphere Memory

Answer 9

Verbal

Question 10

Left Hemisphere Miscellaneous

Answer 10

Praxis

Question 11

Right Hemisphere Language

Answer 11

Auditory comprehension, reading comprehension, prosodic expression, prosodic comprehension

Question 12

Right Hemisphere Constructions

Answer 12

External configurations

Question 13

Right Hemisphere Calculations

Answer 13

Spatial arrangement

Question 14

Right Hemisphere Memory

Answer 14

Visuospatial

Question 15

Right Hemisphere Miscellaneous

Answer 15

Facial Recognition

Question 16

Right Hemisphere Function

Answer 16

Seemingly responsible for: arousal, orientation, attention; visual perception; emotional experience & expressions

Question 17

In right handed individuals, the right hemisphere is responsible for ______ related to arousal, orientation, attention:

Answer 17

Arousal, orientation, vigilance, selective attention, sustained attention

Question 18

Arousal

Answer 18

General readiness to respond to external stimuli; alert; ready to react

Question 19

Orientation

Answer 19

Directing one’s attention to a specific stimulus, event, or location; know where you’re going

Question 20

Vigilance

Answer 20

Sustained attention used to detect changes in the stimulus

Question 21

Selective attention

Answer 21

Ignoring some stimuli while paying attention to certain specific stimuli

Question 22

Related to visual perception, the right hemisphere appears to process:

Answer 22

Holistic, gestalt-like stimuli
Geometric & spatial info
Facial recognition
Body image

Question 23

Holistic, gestalt-like stimuli

Answer 23

Looking at big picture; grasping meaning of total picture

Question 24

Geometric & spatial information

Answer 24

Understanding or recognizing spatially organized shapes or figures

Question 25

Facial recognition

Answer 25

Responsible for recognizing familiar faces; 4-10 month old infants will show interest in their mother’s faces (high amplitude sucking)

Question 26

Body Image

Answer 26

Helps maintain proper body image & what's acceptable socially based on life experiences, etc.

Question 27

Right Hemisphere & Emotional Experiences & Expression

Answer 27

Dominant for emotions; perception of temporal order; perception of musical harmony; certain aspects of communication

Question 28

Emotions

Answer 28

The expression of being angry, happy, sad, etc. (all the different emotions); understanding how emotions impact you based on the stimuli you’re receiving from environment (amygdala—fight and flight responses, etc); where that info is stored—what it means to be happy, sad, etc.

Question 29

Perceptions of Temporal Order

Answer 29

Dominant for perceiving the temporal order or sequence of events; understanding the serial-ness of events

Question 30

Perception of Musical Harmony

Answer 30

Music and processing of acoustic signals; generic music; understanding harmonies, etc.

Question 31

Hemispheric Interplay & Communicative Functions

Answer 31

Possible w/ regards to discourse comprehension & production

Question 32

Communicative Functions

Answer 32

Rt. hemisphere may be less efficient in understanding verbs than nouns; may help make inferences implied in verbal exchanges Communicative efficiency & specificity may be centered in rt. hemisphere; understanding alternative & ambiguous meanings; understanding or expressing emotional tone of verbal expression; understanding or expressing prosodic aspects of speech; understanding contextual info of verbal expression; managing pragmatic communication skills

Question 33

Pragmatic Communication Skills

Answer 33

Turn-taking Topic Maintenance Social Appropriateness of Communication Eye Contact

Question 34

Neuropathologies Etiologies

Answer 34

CVAs, tumors, head trauma, & various neurological disease processes

Question 35

Neuropathologies

Answer 35

Individuals who sustain RHD secondary to posterior lesions don't have motor disabilities Those w/ frontal lobe damage will have motor disturbances

Question 36

Varied Sx's Pt's w/ RHD might exhibit may be grouped according to:

Answer 36

Perceptual & attention deficits Affective deficits Communication deficits

Question 37

Perceptual & attention deficits

Answer 37

Left neglect Visuospatial impairments Forms of disorientation

Question 38

Left Neglect

Answer 38

Reduced sensitivity to stimuli, reduced awareness of space or absence of previously learned responses from stimuli in certain visual fields Can result from damage to any lobe Can be left or right dominant Right parietal lobe damage produces left neglect in most pts

Question 39

Left Neglect Characteristics

Answer 39

Right focus, difficulty shifting attention from right to left, failure to perceive left-sided tactile or perceptual stimuli, failure to copy left side of a picture or a geometric design, disownership of left body parts or belongings, denying illness (anosagnosia), left-neglect in reading/writing