LOCALISATION OF FUNCTION (BRAIN)

• MOTOR


  a region of the brain responsible for the generation of voluntary motor movements
• SOMATSENSORY 


  a region of the brain that processes input from sensory receptors in the body that are sensitive to touch e.g skin. It uses this sensory information to produce feelings like pain or temperature.
• VISUAL CORTEX 


  processes information from the eyes
• AUDITORY CORTEX 


  processes information from the ears
• BROCAS AREA(LEFT FRONTAL LOBE)


  located in the posterior portion of frontal lobe related to speech production
• WERNICKES AREA (LEFT TEMPORAL LOBE)

  a region in the temporal lobe important for the comprehension of language.
• BROCAS AND WERNICKES 


  It is now known that Broca's and Wernicke's area are connected by the arcuate fasciculus running between them. At one end lies the Broca's area, responsible for production of language and at the other lies Wernicke's area responsible for the processing of spoken language.
• (+) LOCALISATION - EVIDENCE

  PHINEASE GAGE =

  This is where a rod went through his chin to the top of his forehead. After the accident he was able to fully recover, speak properly and was completely conscious. But he had psychologically changed as he became rude, hostile and unreliable. This suggests that localisation of the brain can be confirmed and is true because Phineas was reported to be calm and well mannered but after the incident he became rude, unreliable and hostile. 
• (+) LOCALISATION 


  DOUGHERTY ET AL =

  He researched on 44 OVCD patients who had suffered from brain trauma and found that only 33% had responded fully but 13% had partial response. This suggests that localisation can be used to explain severely damaged mental disorders.
• (-) LOCALISATION 


   idea that language centres are not only controlled by the Broca and Wernicke areas. DICK AND TREMBLEY found that only 2% of scientists believe that the language centres are controlled by Broca and Wernicke areas. Advances in technology such as fMRI suggest that there are other parts of the brain that are responsible for this. 
• (-) LOCALISATION - CHALLENGED

  LASHLEY =

  who removed areas of the cortex in rats that were learning a route through a maze. No area was proven to be more important in the ability to learn the route and the process of learning required every part of the cortex, rather than being confined to a particular area. This suggests that higher cognitive functions are not localised,therefore suggesting a more holistic theory of brain function.