Methods of studying cortical specialisation

Methods of studying cortical specialisation

Invasive methods

• Neurosurgery

Considered to be an invasive method as it involves manipulating structures within the brain there are two main ways which neurosurgery is performed:

Ablation - surgical procedure used to remove areas of the brain

Lesioning - surgical procedure used to cut neural connections in the brain

( + ) allows control in the location of damage

( - ) problem of cause and effect - does lesioning one area of the brain damage other areas?

Post-mortem studies

Research method in which the brain of a patient who had a rare affliction (eg…