Week 6 Lateralization

Question 1

How are the brain hemispheres asymmetric?

Answer 1

• Anterior posterior torque pattern
• Flip brain upside down can see that right hemisphere has larger width of frontal lobe and the left hemisphere has a larger occipital lobe.
• Left hemisphere has smaller surface area but thicker cortex area

Question 2

Are the right and left hemispheres of the brain identical?

Answer 2

No they are specialized in terms of structure and function

Question 3

what is the scientific term for Wernickes area?

Answer 3

Planum temporale

Question 4

In which hemisphere of the brain is the planum temporale larger?

Answer 4

left hemisphere

Question 5

What divides the left and right hemispheres of the brain?

Answer 5

corpus collosum

Question 6

Describe the corpus callosum

Answer 6

Bundle of white matter tracks that connects the two hemispheres of the brain and allows for communication across the hemispheres

Question 7

Describe lateralization of function

Answer 7

• The tendency for some neural functions or cognitive processes to be specialized to one side of the brain or the other (functions more localized to one brain hemisphere)
• does NOT mean the dominant hemisphere is exclusive to that function

Question 8

What are some dominant functions of the brains left hemisphere?

Answer 8

• language
• speech
• positive emotions

Question 9

What are some dominant functions of the brains right hemisphere

Answer 9

• music
• spatial relations
• negative emotions

Question 10

Lateralization of language based off of dominant hand

Answer 10

Question 11

What to areas govern production of speech?

Answer 11

• Wernicke’s area
• broca’s area

Question 12

Broca’s area function

Answer 12

formulates a speech response and stimulates motor cortex

Question 13

Wernicke’s area function

Answer 13

processing incoming speech and comprehends it

Question 14

Where is Broca’s area found?

Answer 14

frontal lobe

Question 15

Where is Wernicke’s area found?

Answer 15

temporal lobe

Question 16

What is the difference between Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 16

• Wernicke’s aphasia - speech meaningless
• Broca’s aphasia - non-fluent speech

Question 17

How does Wernicke’s or Broca’s aphasia occur?

Answer 17

usually due to damage on left side of brain such as strokes or lesions but may be recovered through neuroplasticity

Question 18

How does the right brain hemisphere contribute to language?

Answer 18

• Prosody (pitch, rate, loudness)
• Emotional Aspects of Language
• Understanding Sarcasm & Humor in Language

Question 19

How is language seen in the brain?

Answer 19

• not restricted to one area but found throughout all the brain
• particular words seem to be associated with a particular area
• concepts often relate to parts of brain associating functions
• people seem to have concepts in similar parts of brain
• natural speech reveals the semantic maps that tile human cerebral cortex