Localisation
Localisation of Brain Function
- Localisation of brain function is where certain functions (memory, speech, language) have specific locations in the brain
- The brain is split into two hemispheres, this is the right and left hemisphere
- The two hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum, which acts as a bridge between the two hemispheres and allows them to send messages and work together
- Each hemisphere has 4 brain lobes
- Frontal Lobe:
- Motor control (premotor cortex)
- Problem solving (prefrontal area)
- Speech production (Broca's area)
- Temporal Lobe:
- Auditory processing
- Language comprehension (Wernicke's area)
- Memory/information retrieval
- Parietal Lobe:
- Touch perception (somatosensory cortex)
- Body orientation
- Sensory input
- Occipital Lobe:
- Sight (visual cortex)
- Visual reception and interpretation
- Frontal Lobe:
- There is also the cerebellum that controls balance and coordination and the brain stem, which controls involuntary responses
Phineas Gage
- Phineas Gage was a railroad worker in the USA, his job involved blasting dynamite to clear the path for the rail construction.
- one day Phineas' tamping iron, which was a rod used for blasting the dynamite, went through Phineas' head when an explosion went wrong
- The rod went through Phineas' chin and out through the top of his head
- Phineas did not lose consciousness and he could speak throughout the incident and recovery
- He recovered well eventually after suffering from a bad infection
- Apart from losing his sight in his left eye and some scary, Phineas recovered physically well from the injury
- However, he was changed psychogically, before the accident, Phones was described as a calm and well-mannered individual
- But, after the accident he showed, unreliable, rude and hostile behaviour
- This supports the idea of Localisation, and the personality change can be explained by the damage to a specific area of the brain