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Definition
Two symmetrical hemispheres, that consist of large sheets of layered neurons
The Right and Left Hemispheres are separated by a fissure, but are interconnected by corpus collosum
-has 4 main divisions: frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital |
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Definition
Basic unit of brain
-signaling unit
-takes info in, makes decision about it, passes it along to other neurons
-100 billion neurons in brain |
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Term
| Lateralization of Language |
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Definition
Left-hemisphere dominance for language and speech
-left lat of speech may be due to need to communicate @ rapid rates (w/out taking time for transcortial processing and integration)
Is not strongly correlated with handedness (50% left handers are l. hemi dominated for lang. over 96% all humans have l hemi. for lang)
Split-brain experiments
-autopsies revealved larger surface of area in temporal lobe of left than of right
The right hemisphere can start processing language after the left hemisphere is damaged
Also, new evidence suggesting that the RH is involved in pragmatic functioning |
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| what happens if brain is split |
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Definition
corpus callosum is severed in patients w/epilepsy
-visual info presented to 1/2 of brain is not available to other
-patients can name objects placed in their right hand, but not objects placed in left |
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Definition
Language deficits in comprehension and production of language due to neurological damage
Approximately 40% of all strokes produce aphasia
(@ least in acute period) |
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Term
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Definition
Broca’s Area: Posterior portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus
Aphasia associated with left-hemisphere damage, right hemiparesis, and a language disorder
-broca concluded that brain areas that produce speech are located in interios frontal lobe of left hemi
Broca’s Area; Broca’s Aphasia and linguistic deficit resulting from damage to it is called broca'a aphasia
Non-fluent aphasia; agrammatism
This area is activated in normal adults during speech production, and also during processing of syntax
**written lang is affected b/c lang is lang (hard time activating it) |
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Definition
He described 2 patients who had difficulty understanding spoken lang after stroke) unlike broca - these had fluent speech, but nonsense words/jargon
Wernicke’s Area: Posterior regions of the superior temporal region
-listening to someone is like listening to foreign lang
-discovered damgage to posterior regions of superior temporal region
Wernicke’s area; Wernicke’s Aphasia
Fluent aphasia; difficulty understanding spoken language; jargon
This area is activated in normal adults when they have to tell two words apart |
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Term
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Definition
Early in gestation, the system is incredibly flexible and plastic
Plasticity is limited postnatally
Functional plasticity
Phantom-limb experiments
Children with early brain-damage are delayed in acquisition of linguistic milestones
However, not as severe as would be expected in adults
Early deficits tend to resolve by school age, and children usually end up somewhere on the lower end of the normal distribution |
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Definition
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| language is represented in brain by... |
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Definition
| wide neural networks that get activated in response to different types of linguistic tasks. |
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| These networks can be damaged (thus causing aphasia). They are malleable and can be reorganized even in adulthood. |
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