Localisation of Brain Function

Vocabulary flashcards on localisation of function in the brain, relevant case studies, supporting research, and counter-arguments.

Clive Wearing

A brain-damaged patient whose case highlighted the role of the hippocampus in episodic memory.

Patient HM

A patient who suffered from severe epilepsy and had large parts of his hippocampus removed, leading to extreme anterograde amnesia while his short-term memory remained functional.

Anterograde Amnesia

An inability to form new memories in long-term memory (LTM).

Broca's Aphasia

An impaired ability to produce language, most commonly caused by brain damage in Broca's area.

Wernicke's Aphasia

An impairment of language perception, demonstrating the role of Wernicke's area in language comprehension.

Dronkers et al. (2007)

Research demonstrating that other areas of the brain outside Broca's area are involved in speech production, suggesting function may not be strictly localized.

Karl Lashley (1950)

A researcher who proposed that higher cognitive functions are not localized, demonstrating that removing between 10% and 50% of the cortex in rats impaired maze navigation regardless of which area was removed.

Equipotentiality

The capacity of any intact part of a functional brain to co-opt and carry out memory functions lost due to damage in other parts.

Functional Recovery

The process where intact areas of the cortex take over responsibility for specific cognitive functions following brain injury.

Dejerine (1892)

A study demonstrating that damage to the connection between the visual cortex and Wernicke's area caused an inability to read, highlighting the importance of interconnections between brain regions.

Phrenology

An early historical movement from which the concept of functional localisation originated.

Hemispheric Lateralisation

The concept that specific functions and cognitive processes are specialized to either the left or right cerebral hemisphere.

Contralateral Organisation

The neuroanatomical arrangement where each hemisphere of the brain controls and processes information from the opposite side of the body.

Harasty et al. (1997)

Research investigating gender differences in the neuroanatomical localisation of function.

Holistic Theory

A theory challenging localisation of function by asserting that higher cognitive functions involve the whole brain working together.