Split-Brain Hemisphere Communication

Flashcards covering core ideas about split-brain patients, hemispheric lateralization, and interhemispheric communication as discussed in the notes.

What brain structure is severed to create split-brain patients?

The corpus callosum, severing the bridge between the two hemispheres and disrupting interhemispheric communication.

Is the initial visual crossover (optic chiasm) affected in split-brain patients?

No—the optic chiasm crossover remains intact; the disruption occurs in sharing information between hemispheres after the severing of the corpus callosum.

Which hemisphere is typically dominant for language?

The left hemisphere.

In split-brain patients, when a word is shown in the right visual field, which hemisphere processes it and what is the expected verbal response?

The left hemisphere processes it, and the patient can verbally report the word seen.

In split-brain patients, which hemisphere controls the left hand, and what would it indicate?

The right hemisphere controls the left hand; it will point to what it saw in the left visual field, which may not align with what the left hemisphere reports verbally.

What does a left-hand response reveal about hemispheric processing in split-brain patients?

It reveals information processed by the right hemisphere that may not be accessible to the left hemisphere’s verbal report, illustrating dissociation between perception and speech.

What key takeaway about hemispheric specialization is illustrated by split-brain studies in these notes?

Language is left-hemisphere dominant, while the right hemisphere can process nonverbal information and influence actions, leading to dissociations when hemispheres cannot communicate.