Localisation, lateralisation and plasticity

Discuss what research has shown about hemispheric lateralisation.

Xavier was not wearing a helmet. The teacher told him how lucky he was not to have suffered brain damage. She told him about a man who had been cycling without a helmet. He had fallen off his bicycle and now found it difficult to produce speech.

Xavier laughed and said, “I am young. If I had an accident, my brain would just recover on its own and get me back to normal.”

Discuss research into plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma. Refer to the views of the teacher and Xavier in your answer.

Discuss localisation of function in the brain.

Studies have identified Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area as responsible for language.

Outline the difference in function between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area.

Figure 1 shows the left hemisphere of the human brain. Five areas of the brain are labelled A, B, C, D and E.

Outline and evaluate split-brain research.

Kieran completes a quiz in his magazine and announces that he is ‘left brained’. “That’s just silly”, Sam says. “You cannot just be ‘left brained’, the whole brain works together to carry out functions.” “It’s not silly!” Kieran replies. “It says here that the left brain is responsible for speech and language.”

Discuss research into localisation of function in the brain and/or hemispheric lateralisation. Refer to Kieran and Sam’s discussion in your answer.

Lotta’s grandmother suffered a stroke to the left hemisphere, damaging Broca’s area and the motor cortex.

Using your knowledge of the functions of Broca’s area and the motor cortex, describe the problems that Lotta’s grandmother is likely to experience.

Lotta worries that because of her grandmother’s age she will not be able to make any recovery.

Using your knowledge of plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma, explain why Lotta might be wrong.