Brain Lateralization Information in this presentation is taken from UCCP Content

Brain Lateralization The corpus callosum permits information to be transferred between the two hemispheres of the brain, so that a message received in one hemisphere can be quickly transmitted to the other hemisphere. Research has revealed some differences between the functions of the two hemispheres. For example, when a person is speaking, increased brain activity and blood flow is seen in the left hemisphere. In contrast, when a person is completing a task that involves spatial perception (e.g. playing a video game), brain activity and blood flow is increased in the right hemisphere. In general, the left hemisphere of the brain handles functions such as logic, problem solving, language, and mathematical computation. In comparison, the right hemisphere controls visual spatial skills, face recognition, and emotional responses.

Brain Lateralization Each hemisphere receives information and messages from the opposite side of the body. To illustrate this point, we will look at how we process visual stimuli. Everything that appears in your left visual field is registered on the right side of your visual cortex. In comparison, everything that appears in your right visual field registers on the left side of your visual cortex. In a “normal” brain, information about an object that is received in the left visual field (right hemisphere) can be shared with the left hemisphere via the corpus callosum. If the corpus callosum is cut, information in the left visual field can still reach the right hemisphere; however, this information cannot be shared with the left hemisphere. Basically, the two hemispheres are workign like independent brains. This is called a split brain. Split brain is the term used to describe the condition when the connection between the two brain hemispheres has been severed (i.e. the fiber of the corpus callosum have been cut).