The Brain

Question 1

Whats localisation of function in the brain

Answer 1

• Specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions

Question 2

4 main cortexes

Answer 2

• motor cortex ( found in frontal lobe each hemisphere). Responsible for voluntary movements like walking
• somatosensory ( found in parietal lobes). Responsible for sensing physical sensations like heat. Neurons. Differ. Hands
• Auditory cortex ( temporal lobes) responsible for sound information. Contralateral
• Visual cortex ( Occipital lobe) visual info from eyes. Contralateral

Question 3

Areas responsible for speech

Answer 3

1) Brocos area - responsible for speech production. Found in frontal lobe left hemisphere. Damage = Brocos aphesia slowed speech, lack of fluency
2) Wernickes area- Responsible for speech comprehension( found in temporal lobe. Wernickes aphesia = lack meaning of what they say

Question 4

Evidence supporting Localisation of brain function

Answer 4

• Case study
• Phineas gage
• Railway worker, iron bar shot through his left eye, frontal lobe
• Survived. After accident was more aggressive and violent
• Researchers said damaged area was responsible for self control- confirmed
  HOWEVER
• case study so cannot be generlised
• ## small sample size

Question 5

Limitations of localisation

Answer 5

1) existence of higher cognitive processes. Such as learning, language and memory- too complex to one area.
- Rat study, removed dif parts of brain while learning a maze
- no single area most important
- higher congnitive processes distributed amongst brain rather than localised

2) Opposing research. Maguire.
- London Taxi drivers
- MRI scan taxi drivers hippocamps larger than control
- Localisation cant explain how brains develop differently depending on their use

Question 6

What is hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 6

• Each hemisphere is responsible for different functions, activities
• The visual field is contralatetal. Left hemisphere controls right side of body vis versa. info received from left visual fied processed by right visual field

Question 7

describe the split brain study

Answer 7

Sperry and Gazzinga
- 11 epileptic patients
- performed surgical leisoning on the corpus collosum
- covered one of their eyes to peform dif tasks
- found the right hemisphere peformed better at visio spatial tasks at right hemisphere contains vision spatial centre. Couldnt speak the words but could write them down or identify faces and objects
- Left hemisphere contains language centres so when presented with a word could say what it was. But if presented with an object or told to match a face with a word couldnt do it as left hemisphre doesnt contain any visio spatial centres
4 tasks
1) Describing what you see
2) matching faces to words
3) words presented simultanously
4) recognising objects placed in hand