Lateralization + White Matter + Basal Nuclei

Lateralization

Division of labor between the two hemispheres

The brain is split into left and right hemispheres, and they specialize in different things

work together

Left hemisphere lateralization

language, math, and logic

structured thinking - logic

Right hemisphere - laterization

Insight, visual-spatial skills, intuition, and artistic skills

creative thinking - creativity

What side of the body does each hemisphere control

Right hemisphere controls left side of body

Left hemisphere controls right side of body

How do the left and right hemispheres communicate

Through fiber tracts in cerebral white matter

Cerebral white matter

myelinated fibers/axons and tracts (bundles of axons in CNS)

What are the three major cerebral white matter fiber types

Commissures, association, projection

Commissures fibers

connect left and right hemisphere

Association fibers

connect different parts of the same hemisphere

Projection fibers

connects hemispheres with lower brain or spinal cord

Corpus Callosum

Main commissure fiber

Basal nuclei/ganglia - where and what

deep inside cerebral hemisphere (not cortex)

clusters of gray matter

Basal nuclei/ganglia function (3)

Regulate attention and cognition (focus movement and thought), intensity of movement (not too weak or too strong), and inhibit unnecessary movement

Disorders in Huntingtons disease and in parkinsons disease is disorder in what area and what

In basal ganglia/ nuclei

Huntington - too much movement

parkinson - too little movement