AO1 - Localisation of Function

• Localisation of function - specific areas of the brain are specialised for certain functions. (1) E.g. the motor cortex is responsible for voluntary movement. Only this area of the brain is responsible for this job (1)
• Motor cortex:

  • Located in both hemispheres
  • Involved in the creation of voluntary motor movements (each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body)
  • Damage can cause loss of control over fine movements, small movements on the opposite side of the body
• Somatosensory cortex:

  • Located in both hemispheres
  • Processes information from the senses in the skin - this includes touch, pressure, pain and temperature from all areas in the body
  • Damage can cause problems in perceiving touch and failure to recognise object by touch
• Visual cortex:

  • Located in both hemispheres
  • Receives information directly from the eyes and it processes information such as the colour and shape
  • Damage can produce blindness, hallucinations or colour blindness
• Wernicke's area:

  • Located in the left hemisphere
  • Involved in the understanding of language
  • Damage can lead to Wernicke's aphasia - cannot understand language and produce nonsense words
• Auditory cortex:

  • Located in both hemispheres
  • Associated with analysing auditory information
  • Damage can lead to full or partial hearing loss
• Broca's area:

  • Located in the left hemisphere
  • Involved in the production of language
  • Damage can lead to Broca's aphasia - slow speech that lacks fluency or a complete absence of speech