biosychology

• LOF: Localization v holistic theory– 19th century, Broca and Wernicke discovered that specific areas of the brain have particular physical or psychological functions. Before investigations / Phineas Gage, scientists generally supported the holistic theory of the brain, all parts were involved in the processing of thought and action.
• LOF: Broca and Wernicke argued for localisation of function = The idea that different parts of the brain perform different tasks and are involved with different parts of the body. If certain area of the brain becomes damaged through illness or injury, functions associated with that area will be affected.
• LOF: Hemispheres of the brain– The main part of the brain (cerebrum) is divided into two symmetrical halves, the left and right hemispheres. Lateralization is where some of our physical and psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere. Activity on the left-hand side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere, and activity on the right-hand side by the left hemisphere.
• LOF: The motor, somatosensory, visual, and auditory centers– The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of both hemispheres. Both hemispheres are subdivided into four centers called lobes:

  ·       Frontal lobe,

  ·       parietal lobe,

  ·       occipital lobe,

  ·       temporal lobe.
• LOF: Back of the frontal lobe - in both hemispheres is the motor area, controls voluntary movement in opposite side. If damaged the brain may result in a loss of control over fine movements.
• LOF: The front of both parietal lobes - is the somatosensory area, separated from the motor area by a ‘valley’ called the central sulcus. The somatosensory area is where sensory information from the skin is represented. The amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity. Receptors for our faces and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area.
• LOF: The occipital lobe - the visual area. Each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex. This means that the damage to the left hemisphere can produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes.
• LOF: The temporal lobes - the auditory area, which analyses speech-based information. Damage may produce partial hearing loss. The more extensive the damage, the more extensive the loss. Damage to a specific area of the temporal lobe, Wernicke’s area, may affect the ability to comprehend language.
• LOF: The languages centers of the brain– Unlike other areas, language is restricted to the left side in most people. In 1800’s Broca, a surgeon identified a small area in the left frontal lobe responsible for speech production. Damage to Broca’s area caused Broca’s aphasia which is characterized by slow speech, laborious and not fluid. Broca’s most famous patient was Tan as that was the only word he could say. People with Broca’s aphasia have difficulty with prepositions and conjunctions (a, the, and).
• LOF: The language centers of the brain - Wernicke studied people who had no problem producing language but severe difficulties understanding it, such that the speech produced was fluent but meaningless. Identified a region (Wernicke’s area) in the left temporal lobe as being responsible for language understanding. Resulting in Wernicke’s aphasia when damaged, often producing neologisms (nonsense words) as part of the content of their speech.
• Post-mortems -Involves the analysis of a person’s brain following their death. Subjects of a post-mortem examination are likely to have a rare disorder + have experienced unusual deficits in mental processes or behavior during their lifetime. Areas of damage are examined as a way of establishing the cause of affliction the person experienced. It may also involve comparison with neurotypical brains to ascertain the extent of difference.