Biopsychology

• What was Dragonskis procedure and results?

  Procedure

  Brain scanned med students 3 months before and 3 months after the exam

  Results

  There were changes in the plasticity posterior hippocampus and the parietal cortex presumably because of the exam
• What was McGuires procedure are results?

  Procedure

  Studies the brains of London taxi drivers and as part of their training they have to take a complex test called "the knowledge" which assesses their recall of the city's street and possible routes

  Results

  Significantly larger volume and density of grey matter in posterior hippocampus (associated with development of spatial and navigational skills) of taxi drivers compared to controls. The longer they had the job the more significance the difference
• What is meant be synaptic pruning?


  The idea that during infancy the brain experiences rapid growth in the number it synaptic connections it has however as we age rarely used connects are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened.
• What is plasticity also known as?

  Neuroplasticity or cortical remapping
• What is plasticity?

  Describes the brains tendency to change and adapt (functionally or structurally) as a result of experience (positive or negative), new learning or training.
• What are three weaknesses of split-brain research and hemispheric lateralisation?

  Split brain research has limitations.For example, sample size was very small and they all had history of epilepsy.Reduces generalisabilityOver exaggerates the difference in the roles of both hemispheres.For example, not as clear as one verbal region and one non-verbal region as case study JW developed ability to speak about anything no matter what hemisphere it was presented too.May be more complex and brain may actually work more holisticallyPossible that lateralisation is not fixed.For example healthy adults have less lateralisation of function as they get older.This is a weakness as it contradicts the theory.
• What are strengths of spilt-brain research and hemispheric lateralisation?

  One strength is split brain research is that it uses highly specialised and standardised procedures.For example, when aiming to present visual information to only one hemisphere it was only shown for 1/10th of a second.This is a strength as information received is correct so can predict damage of people that damage either hemispheresAlso increased the validity of the experiment
• What conclusions did Sperry draw from the study?

  Left hemisphere responsible for speech and language.

  Right hemisphere responsible for visual-spatial processing and facial recognition
• What was the matching faces task?

  Task number 1

  Procedure = shown image of face (one to each visual field) and then asked to match it to a series of faces

  Results = Picture processed by right hemisphere was selected and picture from left hemisphere was consistently ignored.

  Task number 2

  Procedure = Composite pictures made up of two spaces (one presented to either visual field)

  Results = half presented to right visual field dominated the description and the half presented to the left visual field was chosen in the matching task.
• What was the composite words task?

  Procedure = Two words were simultaneously presented on other side of visual field (e.g. left = key and right = ring) and they were asked to say the words but if the couldn't say them to draw it

  Results = Patient could draw key and say ring
• What is the recognition by touch task?

  Procedure = Objects were shown to the participants left visual field and they were asked to select a matching object with left hand.

  Results = Left hand was able to select a matching object and a related object but they couldn't describe the object
• What was the describing what you see task?

  Procedure = A picture of object was shown to either left or right visual field and participants were asked to name the object.

  Results = When image was shown to right visual field it was easily named but when shown to left visual field often reported seeing nothing, Suggesting that language is processed by our left hemisphere.
• What was the aim of sperrys study?

  To study 11 patients who had undergone a commissurotomy where the fibres between the two hemispheres were cut as a way to try and control the frequent and serve epileptic seizures they were suffering with.
• What is the corpus callosum?

  - Thick bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain together

  - Allows to sides of the brain to communicate
• Evaluation of localisation of function (undermining evidence)?

  One weakness is language production may not be confined to Broca's area alone.For example Dronkers re examined preserved of brains of two Broca's patient using brain MRI and found damage to other areas may have contributes to patients speech ability.This is a weakness as it suggests that language and cognition are far more complicated than once thought and involve networks of brain regions rather than being localised to specific areas.Not all research agree with the view that cognitive functions are localised in the brain.For example, Lashley removed (10-50% of rats cortexes and found that no area was more important than the other in the rats ability to learn a maze.This is a weakness of localisation theory implies that its wrong
• Evaluation of localisation of function? (Supporting evidence)

  A strength is there is support for language centres from aphasia studies.For example people with Broca's aphasia have found impaired ability to produce language and in most case have damaged their Broca's area and people with Wernicke's aphasia have found they struggle to understand language and usually have damage to the Wernicke's area.This is a strength as it demonstrated the important role played by these brain regions in different aspects of language and supports the idea that some components of the language system are localised.A strength is there is research to support from a case study.For example Pjinease gade who surived a meter length pole damaging his frontal lobe effected his personality (he became quick-tempered and rude).This is a strength as it suggests that the frontal lobe may be responsible for regulating mood which supports localisation.HOWEVER IT WAS A CASE STUDY
• Give examples of the role of the right hemispheres?

  - Left visual field

  - Control of left hand

  - Spatial awareness
• Give examples of roles of the left hemisphere?


  - Control of right hand

  - Understanding written language

  - Right visual field
• Define cerebral cortex?

  The outer layer of both hemispheres is called the cerebral cortex
• Which hemisphere is activity on the right side of the body controlled by?

  Left hemisphere
• Which hemisphere is activity on the left side of the body controlled by?

  Right hemisphere
• What is lateralisation?

  The idea that some functions are dominated by one hemisphere
• What is Wernicke's (fluent) aphasia?

  - Speak fluidly but often produce nonsense words

  - Words that don't make sense
• What is Broca's (non-fluent) aphasia?

  - Speech production affected but not understanding

  - Patients speech is short, not very fluid

  - Can produce meaningful sentences that take a lot of effort
• Define aphasia

  Aphasia refers to an inability (or impaired ability) to understand or produce speech as a result of brain damage
• What did Carl Wernicke discover?

  - Discovered an area of the brain involved in understanding language and named it the Wernicke's area

  - Located in the left temporal lobe
• What did Paul Broca say the Broca's area is for?

  - Its located in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere

  - Area is critical for speech production
• What research did Paul Broca do?

  - Treated a patient names tan who could understand spoken language but was unable to speak nor express his thoughts in writing.

  - Broca then went on to study other patients who had similar language defects

  - Found people with damage in left hemisphere were like tan but people with damage to right hemisphere has perfect language ability
• What knowledge is there on the language centres?

  Systemic research from Wernicke and Broca has demonstrated that in most people language centres are lateralised to the left hemisphere.

  Language centre = Broca's area and Wernicke's area
• What can damage to the auditory centres result in?

  Produces partial hearing loss - more extensive damage = more extensive hearing loss.
• Is there an auditory centre on both hemispheres?

  Yes
• Where are the auditory centres located?

  Mostly in the temporal lobe
• What is the role of the auditory centres?

  It is concerned with the analysis of speech-based information.
• Are there visual centres located on both halves of the brain?

  Yes with the right hemisphere receiving input from the left visual field and vice versa
• Where are the visual centres located?

  Visual cortex in the occipital lobe
• What is the role of the visual centre?

  Contains serval different areas with each area receiving and processing different types of visual information such as colour, shape or movement
• What could damage to the motor cortex result in?

  Loss of control over fine motor movement
• How are parts of the motor cortex arranged?

  Logically e.g. part that controls the foot is next to the part that controls the leg
• Do both hemispheres have a motor cortex?

  Yes, with the motor cortex on one side controlling movement of the other side
• Where is the motor cortex located?

  In the frontal lobe