LOCALISATION OF FUNCTION

Created by

Carys Evans

Cards (29)

What is localisation of function?
idea that specific areas of the brain are linked with specific functions
how many hemispheres in the brain?
two
left and right hemisphere
what is lateralisation?
some functions are controlled by one particular hemisphere
which hemisphere controls the left side of the body?
the right, vice versa
what is the outer layer of the brain?
cerebral cortex, a highly developed layer over our brain
what are the four lobes of the brain?
frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal
where is the frontal lobe?
front section of the brain
where is the parietal lobe?
the top of the back of the brain
where is the temporal lobe?
bottom of the brain at the back
where is the occipital lobe?
back of the brain
where is the motor area?
back of the frontal lobe
where is the somatosensory cortex?
the front of the parietal lobe
where is the visual cortex?
occipital lobe
where is the auditory area?
temporal lobe
where is Wernickes area?
the top of the temporal lobe in the LEFT hemisphere
Where is Broca’s area?
back of the frontal lobe
what does the motor area do?
controls voluntary movement
what does the somatosensory cortex do?
processes sensory information from the skin (heat, pressure ect)
what does the visual cortex do?
information from the eyes gets sent here
right visual field goes to left hemisphere and vice versa
what does the auditory area do?
information from the ears gets sent here
What does Wernicke’s area do?
responsible for language comprehension
what does damage to Wernicke’s area do?
causes Wernicke’s Aphasia
characterised by producing fluent but non-sensical speech
what does Broca’s area do?
responsible for speech production
what does damage do Broca’s area do?
causes Brocas Aphasia
characterised by slow, garbled speech
Supporting research of Localisation of function
Peterson, fMRI scans to show Wernicke’s area is active during listening whereas Broca’s is active during reading
Doughety - 44 OCD patients who had a surgery on parts of frontal lobe, 32% success rate and 14% partial success
Neurosurgical evidence of Localisation of Function
early form of mental illness treatment was neurosurgery - removing part of brain thought to be responsible
Contradictory research of localisation of function
Lashley - taught rats to navigate a maze, then removed part of brain. Couldn’t find a specific area responsible for memory of the maze.
Equipotentially theory : basic functions are localised but higher functions are spread throughout the brain
Weakness of localisation of function
Neural Plasticity challenges - when the brain has become damaged it can reorganise itself to recover the function
Case study evidence
Gage - received serious damage after a spike went through his cheek and took part of his frontal lobe. He became rude and quick tempered, suggesting part of the frontal lobe is responsible for regulating mood