localisation of function in the brain

Created by: IvyVega
Created on: 07-06-18 16:56

Holistic theory replaced by localisation theory in recent years

scientists in the early 19th century supported the holistic theory that all parts of the brain were involved in processing thought and action. but specific areas of the brain were later linked with specific physical and psychological functions.

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brain is divided into two hemispheres and lateralised

brain is divided into two halves. lateralisation- some physical and psychological functions are controlled by a particular hemisphere. the left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere, and the right side by the left side of the brain.

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outer layer of brain is called cerebral cortex

the cerebral cortex is like a tea cosy covering the inner parts of the brain. it is about 3mm thick and is what separates us from lower animals as it is highly developed. the cortex appears grey due to the localisation of cell bodies

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cortex of both hemispheres is divided into four lobes- frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

motor area- back of frontal lobe, controls voluntary movement. damage cause loss of movement. somatosensory area- front of parietal lobe. sensory information. visual area- occipital lobe. information to cortex. auditory area- temporal lobe. Speech

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broca's area: speech production

left frontal lobe. damage to this area causes brocas aphasia which is characterised by speech that is slow, laborious and lacking in fluency. Brocas patients may have difficulty finding words and naming certain objects

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wernicke's area: language comprehension

back of the temporal lobe. patients produce language but have problems understanding it, so they produce fluent but meaningless speech. patients with wernickes aphasia will often produce nonsense words as part of the content of their speech.

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strength 1- case studies

Gage survived but the damage to his brain affected his personality. the change in Gages temperament following the accident suggests the frontal lobe may be responsible for regulating mood.

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limitation 1- plasticity is a challenge to localisation theory

when the brain has become damaged and a function has been compromised the rest of the brain is able to reorganise itself to recover the function. lashley called this the law of equipotentiality.

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localisation of function in the brain