Brain Hemisphere Organization

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The Thinking Part of the Brain: Components of the Cerebrum Cerebral Hemispheres left and right halves of cerebrum Corpus Callosum connects the two hemispheres Cerebral Cortex thin outer covering of cerebrum responsible for higher mental processes of language, memory, and thinking 2.8 What are the components of the cerebrum?

The Thinking Part of the Brain: Components of the Cerebrum Two Views of the Cerebral Hemispheres 4

The Thinking Part of the Brain: Components of the Cerebrum The cerebral cortex contains 3 types of areas. Sensory Input Areas vision, hearing, touch, pressure, and temperature register Motor Areas control voluntary movement Association Areas Higher mental functions such as memory, thought, learning, perception, and language 2.8 What are the components of the cerebrum?

The Thinking Part of the Brain: Components of the Cerebrum Lateralization the specialization of one of the cerebral hemispheres to handle a particular function Left Hemisphere controls the right side of the body handles most language functions specialized for mathematics and logic 2.9 What are the specialized functions of the left and right cerebral hemispheres?

The Thinking Part of the Brain: Components of the Cerebrum Right Hemisphere controls left side of body Excels in making inferences foot, cry, glass = Boot, summer, ground = interprets emotional messages conveyed by tone of voice and gestures What’s in the road ahead? is specialized for visual-spatial relations cut camp 2.9 What are the specialized functions of the left and right cerebral hemispheres? ,

Lateralized Functions of the Brain Assigning functions to one hemisphere or the other allows the brain to function more efficiently. 8

When the Brain is Split Corpus callosum is absent or has been surgically modified. Only the verbal left hemisphere can report what it sees. The left hemisphere does not see what is flashed to the right hemisphere; the right hemisphere is unable to report verbally what it has viewed. 2.9 What are the specialized functions of the left and right

Testing a Split-Brain Person In an experiment, a visual image (an orange) is flashed on the right side of the screen, it is transmitted to the left (talking) hemisphere. When asked what he sees, the split-brain patient replies, “I see an orange.” 10

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Testing a Split-Brain Person When an image (an apple) is flashed on the left side of the screen, it is transmitted only to the right (nonverbal) hemisphere. Because the split-brain patient’s left (language) hemisphere did not receive the image, he replies, “I see nothing.” But he can pick out the apple by touch if he uses his left hand, proving that the right hemisphere “saw” the apple. 12

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Split Brain Experiments The Divided Brain

Right-Left Differences in the Intact Brain Hemispheric Specialization Perceptual tasks Language Sense of self Handedness Pat Venditte