Localisation of function AO1

• Localisation of function


  The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activites
• Frontal lobe - motor area

  •Frontal lobe is important for decision making, planning and thinking

  •Back of frontal lobe (in both hemispheres) is the motor area controlling voluntary movement in opposite side of body

  •Damage to this area of the brain may result in a loss of control over fine movements

  •Damage to left frontal lobe will inhibit movement on right side of body
• Parietal - somatosensory

  •At front of both parietal lobes is the somatosensory area, separated from motor area by the central sulcus

  •This is where sensory information from the skin (touch, heat, pressure) is represented

  •Amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part is a sign of its sensitivity

  •E.g. receptors for our face & hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area
• Occipital - visual

  •Occipital lobe at the back of the brain is the visual area (visual cortex)

  •Each eye sends information from right visual field to left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex

  •Damage to left hemisphere could produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes
• Temporal - auditory

  •Temporal lobes house the auditory area

  •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 ability to comprehend language
• Broca's area

  •Language restricted to the left side of brain for most people

  •1880’s Broca a surgeon identified a small area in the left frontal lobe responsible for speech production

  •Damage to Broca’s area causes Broca’s aphasia – speech that is slow, laborious and lacking in fluency

  •Seen in a number of Broca’s patients such as ‘Tan’ – the only word he would say
• Wernicke's area

  •Wernicke was describing patients who had no problem producing language but severe difficulties understanding it (speech fluent but meaningless)

  •Wernicke’s area in left temporal lobe – responsible for language comprehension resulting in Wernicke’s aphasia when damaged

  •Patients with Wernicke’s aphasia often produce nonsense words (neologisms) as part of content of their speech