temporoparietal association cortex and inferior frontal gyrus chapter 29

temporoparietal association area is specialized for

understanding communication, directing attention, and comprehending space

-distinction between language and speech is clinically important

language comprehension occurs in

wernicke's area

-includes understanding spoken, written, and signed language

broca's area

provides instructions for language output

language

our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

speech

creating sound that makes words recognizable

language disorders

aphasia, alexia, agraphia

aphasia

a language disorder affecting spoken language

alexia

a language disorder affecting comprehension of written language

agraphia

a language disorder affecting the ability to write

wernickes aphasia

-language comprehension is impaired

people with wernicke's aphasia

easily produce spoken sounds, but the output is meaningless

-people with wernicke's aphasia have alexia, the inability to write meaningful words, and paraphasia (use of uninteded words or phases)

brocas aphasia

-difficulty expressing oneself using language

-people with broca's aphasia may not produce any language output, or they may be able to generate habitual phrases

global aphasia is the

-most severe form of aphasia

-an inability to use language in any form

people with global aphasia

cannot produce understandable speech, comprehend spoken language, speak fluently, read, or write

-usually secondary to a large lesion damaging most of the lateral left cerebrum

nonverbal communication

gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and posture convey meanings in addition to a verbal message

directing attention

decides focus of attention

spatial attention

constructing an image of one's own body and for planning movements, providing schemas of the following:

-the body

-the body in relation to its surroundings

-the external world

disorders of spatial attention: unilateral neglect

the tendency to behave as if one side of the body and/or one side of space does not exist

disorders of attention: personal neglect

results from failure to direct attention

-also called "hemi-inattention"

aspect of personal neglect

-unilateral lack of awareness of sensory stimuli

-unilateral lack of personal hygiene and grooming

-unilateral lack of movement of the limbs

anosognosia

a form of denial that occurs in some people with severe hemiparesis and personal neglect

spatial neglect

characterized by a lack of understanding of spatial relationships

-is complex, results in a deranged internal representation of space

manifestations of spatial neglect include

-problems with navigation: may have difficulty finding their way even within a single room

-dressing apraxia: difficulty with dressing due to an inability to correctly orient clothing to the body

-construction apraxia: difficulty with drawing, building, and assembling objects

left hemisphere typically specializes in

understanding and producing language, including speech and writing

right hemisphere specializes in

understanding space, organizing movements relative to spatial orientation, navigating, and understanding and producing nonverbal communication

frontal lobes

control motor function, initiation of activity, planning of nonverbal communication, goal-oriented behavior, judgment, interpretation of emotion, attention, flexibility in problem solving, social behavior, and motivation

parietal lobes

process somatosensation, direct attention, and provide perceptual schemas that relate the parts of the body, the body relative to the environment, and the world

occipital lobes

process vision, including spatial relationships of visual objects, analyze motion and color, and control visual fixation

temporal lobes

process auditory information, classify sounds, and process emotion and memory