Higher Brain Function

Dr. DeBello, Fall 2024, Lecture 14

Three methods that have tested the functional localization hypothesis

1. Loss of function: analyze patients with specific behavioral deficits, after death, determine which parts of the brain were damaged

   1. Phineas Gage and patient HM

2. Passive observation: record brain activity during specific behaviors

   1. fMRI to observe healthy patients and confirm maps based on patients with deficits

3. Intervention: does electrical simulation of the brain alter perceptions/ behaviors?

   1. Yes, local brain activity=specific perception

Who is Phineas Gage?

• Explosion sent a tamping iron through his frontal lobe

• Deficits: socially unacceptable behavior, unfocused, lack of planning

• Showed that the frontal lobe is where personality is stored

Who is patient HM?

• Started experiencing seizures at 16, at 27 they removed his hippocampus, seizures went away but…

• Experienced total anterograde amnesia, he couldn’t form new long term memories

• Showed that the hippocampus was where memories are created

Wernicke’s Area

• Language comprehension

• Located in left association cortex and receives input form the auditory, visual, and somatosensory cortices, projects to broca’s area

• Damage results in a deficit in language comprehension

Broca’s Area

• Speech production

• Located in the left frontal lobe and sends output to the motor areas of the cortex

• Damage results in deficits in speech production