Penfield’s study of the interpretive cortex (NS)

• What condition did Penfield primarily study?

  Severe epilepsy
• What is epilepsy?

  A condition causing brain seizures
• What surgical technique did Penfield develop?

  The Montreal procedure
• What was the aim of Penfield's 1959 study?

  To describe psychological responses to brain stimulation
• What were the two responses observed when the temporal lobe was stimulated?

  Experiences and emotions (hallucination) related to memories including deja vu
• What is the interpretive cortex?

  Area of the temporal lobe storing feelings
• What is the significance of the interpretive cortex?

  It stores information on feelings
• what method did Penfield use?

  • operated on patients with severe epilepsy

  • stimulate areas of the brain in a conscious patient that reported experiences
• what conclusion can be made from this study?

  the interpretive cortex stores the personal meaning of previous events
• what evaluation points can be made from this study?

  + precise method

  could stimulate the exact same area of brain and had verbal reports

  — unusual sample

  behaviour may not reflect “normal” brains

  — mixed results in later research

  interpretive cortex may not always respond the way Penfield concluded