6.4.4 Evaluation of Localisation Theory

• What does the localisation theory suggest about brain functions?

  Specific regions for specific functions
• The motor cortex controls voluntary movements.
• The somatosensory cortex processes touch, temperature, and pain.
• What type of evidence supports localisation theory?

  Case studies and brain scans
• Brain plasticity can shift functions to other areas.
• Key evidence for localisation comes from case studies and brain scans.
• Match the evidence type with its example:

  Case Studies ↔️ Phineas Gage's frontal lobe damage

  Brain Scans ↔️ Language processing in Broca's area
• Who developed phrenology in the late 18th century?

  Franz Gall
• One limitation of phrenology was its lack of scientific rigor.
• Phrenology introduced the concept of localisation of brain function.
• What are two modern neuroimaging techniques that support localisation theory?

  fMRI and PET
• fMRI measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
• What do radioactive tracers in PET scans bind to in the brain?

  Specific brain regions
• Phineas Gage's case showed the frontal lobe's role in impulse control and personality.
• Which area of the brain was identified by studying Broca's patient, Tan?

  Broca's area
• Case studies like Phineas Gage's provide evidence for the localisation of brain function.
• What type of brain damage did Phineas Gage suffer?

  Frontal lobe damage
• Brain scans like fMRI and PET are used to observe active brain regions during tasks
• Brain scans demonstrate that specific brain regions are responsible for unique functions.
• What are the two key evidence types supporting localisation theory?

  Case studies and brain scans
• Phrenology, developed by Franz Gall, proposed that brain functions were localised
• Match the contributions and limitations of phrenology:

  Introduced localisation of brain function ↔️ Lacked scientific rigor

  Sparked interest in brain anatomy ↔️ Based on unreliable skull measurements

  Influenced early neuroscience ↔️ Oversimplified brain functions
• Which neuroimaging techniques provide strong evidence for localisation theory?

  fMRI and PET
• fMRI measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow
• PET scans use radioactive tracers to detect brain activity.
• Match the neuroimaging technique with its key feature:

  fMRI ↔️ Excellent spatial resolution

  PET ↔️ Excellent specificity
• What functional impact did Phineas Gage's frontal lobe lesion have?

  Personality changes
• Tan (Broca's patient) suffered a lesion in Broca's area, resulting in loss of speech production
• What does the holistic theory suggest about brain function?

  Brain works as a unified system
• Brain plasticity allows functions to be re-assigned to different regions after injury.
• Equipotentiality Theory suggests that any part of the brain can perform the functions of other parts
• What is the key characteristic of distributed processing in the brain?

  Interconnected neural networks
• Match the feature with its corresponding theory:

  Localisation ↔️ Confined to specific regions

  Distributed Processing ↔️ Distributed across networks
• The motor cortex in the brain controls voluntary movements.
• What does the somatosensory cortex process?

  Touch, temperature, pain
• What is the central idea of localisation theory?

  Specific regions for specific functions
• The motor cortex controls voluntary movements
• The somatosensory cortex processes touch, temperature, and pain.
• Match each brain region with its primary function:

  Motor cortex ↔️ Voluntary movements

  Somatosensory cortex ↔️ Processes touch

  Visual cortex ↔️ Processes visual information

  Auditory cortex ↔️ Processes auditory information
• Broca's area is responsible for language production