brain plasticity and specialization

plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

split brain research

studies individuals who have undergone a surgical procedure called corpus callosotomy, which disconnects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

the phenomenon where each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body.

Hemispheric Specialization

explored through split brain research, refers to the concept that each hemisphere of the brain has specialized functions and abilities.

Linguistic Processing

the complex cognitive processes involved in understanding and producing language.

Broca's Area

located in the left hemisphere of the brain, specifically in the frontal lobe, that is responsible for speech production and language processing.

Broca's Aphasia

language disorder caused by damage to Broca's area in the left hemisphere of the brain, often resulting from stroke or brain injury.

Wernicke's Area

region located in the left hemisphere of the brain, specifically in the temporal lobe, that is involved in language comprehension and understanding spoken and written language.

Wernicke's Aphasia

language disorder caused by damage to Wernicke's area in the left hemisphere of the brain, typically resulting from stroke or brain injury.

Electroencephalogram "EEG"

non-invasive neuroimaging technique used to record the electrical activity of the brain.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging "fMRI"

neuroimaging technique used to measure brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygen levels.

Lesioning

research technique used to study brain function by intentionally damaging or destroying specific areas of the brain in experimental animals.