Brain and Language
The Brain: Basics The Hemispheres Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere Connected by corpus collosum –a bundle of 200 million nerve fibers
The Brain: Basics 1/4” thick layer covering the brain Makes human capable of higher cognitive functions Gyri (bumps) Fissures (depressions) The Cortex
The Brain: Basics White matter – nerve cell fibers Reflex actions – breathing, heartbeat, etc. Sub-cortex
The Brain: Basics Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe The Lobes Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe Occipital Lobe
The Brain: Basics Cf. lobotomy Frontal Lobe Beulah Jones: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lobotomist/stories/jones_wm_hi.html Howard Dully: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lobotomist/program/lobotomist_11.html Frontal Lobe Concerned with reasoning, planning, parts of speech and movement (motor cortex), emotions, and problem-solving.
Dr. Walter Freeman, the Lobotomist
The Brain: Basics Parietal Lobe Concerned with perception of stimuli related to touch, pressure, temperature and pain.
The Brain: Basics Temporal Lobe Concerned with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli (hearing) and memory (hippocampus).
The Brain: Basics Occipital Lobe Concerned with many aspects of vision.
Lateralization and Contralateralization specialization of the hemispheres The functions of each hemisphere are different. e.g., Commissurotomy (split brain) Severing of the corpus collosum Patients can name object in the right sphere of vision but not the left. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGwsAdS9Dc
Lateralization and Contralateralization specialization of the hemispheres corpus callosum Left hemisphere Control RIGHT side of body Language Analytic reasoning Time Arithmetic Right hemisphere Control LEFT side of body Music Non–linguistic sounds Patterns recognition Visual and spatial skills
Left hemisphere of human brain Language Center (on the left hemisphere): Broca’s area: organizes the sound patterns of language Wernicke’s area: comprehends words Arcuate fasciculus: nerve fibers connecting Broca and Wernicke’s area to allow information sharing Angular gyrus: converts visual stimuli into auditory stimuli and vice