1. The findings and implications of split brain research

2. Purpose of the Split Brain Procedure
Roger Sperry (who won the Nobel prize in 1981) and Michael Gazzaniga are two neuroscientists who studied patients who had surgery to cut the corpus callosum.
The intention was to reduce seizures in epileptics. (1960’s)
Surgery first performed on animals to study the effects.
Purpose of the Split Brain Procedure

3. View Split Brain Video Clip Questions to Consider…
What are some of the immediate effects of the split brain surgery?
Does this surgery reveal anything about the dominance or specialization of the hemispheres?
View Split Brain Video Clip Questions to Consider…

4. What do you notice about the right and left visual fields?
What happens to visual information from both fields after it reaches the eye?
Visual Fields

5. Split Brain Research

6. Split Brain Research

7. Split Brain Research

8. Split Brain Research

9. Split Brain Research

10. Split Brain Research

11. Split Brain Research

12. Post Split Brain Surgery
Eventually split brain patients learn to process information in a new manner.
Many of the confusing and frustrating effects of the surgery tend to decrease.
Language Dominant Left Hemisphere
Post Split Brain Surgery

13. Cerebral Hemisphere Dominance
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
Language
Math
Logic
Spatial abilities
Face recognition
Visual imagery
Music
These are generalizations and in normal people, the two hemispheres work together, are connected, and share information through the corpus callosum.
Cerebral Hemisphere Dominance

14. Don’t be fooled by the spinning lady!!!
Spinning Lady Clip

15. Brain Facts Plasticity- capacity to re-wire itself. Best when young.
Male brains are slightly larger than female brains.
Your brain uses about 20% of your body’s energy and makes up only 2% of your weight.
Adults can generate new brain cells and make new connections.
Plasticity- capacity to re-wire itself. Best when young.
The Cerebral Cortex has the surface area of a pillow case.
Has about 100 billion neurons (octopus has 300 million)
Brain Facts

16. What percent of our brain do we actually use?
All of it!!
Which 90% would you like to lose?
Brain imaging techniques have debunked the alluring 10% Myth
Why do you think this is a commonly believed myth?
What percent of our brain do we actually use?