Localization Of Function In The Brain

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Explain three studies related to localization of function in the brain Brain localization - The brain exhibits "localization of function." This means that different parts of the brain carry out different functions (e.g., vision, control of voluntary movement, understanding speech, etc.) and, conversely, that not all parts of the brain do the same thing. When referring to ‘brain localization’, what is generally meant by this term is that there are different parts of the brain that carry out certain functions, such as vision, control of voluntary movement, understanding speech, etc. Conversely, not all parts of the brain do the same thing. One of the ways through which this can be shown is through a case study done on stroke victims by Carl Wernicke. Wernicke believed that any abnormalities could be traced to a specific part in the brain and could therefore then determine the functions of these regions more precisely. So in 1873 Wernicke studied a patient who had suffered a stroke. The patient was able to speak coherently and his hearing was fine, however, the patient was unable to understand anything that was said to him. What Wernicke discovered through his case study is what is now known as Wernicke’s aphasia, a lesion in the rear parietal/temporal region of the patient’s left brain hemisphere, in other words the bundle of nerves, which connects Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas. This results in the patient having an impaired understanding of speech and reading. It also results in the inability to repeat words, especially ‘non-words’. Another example, which shows how the brain exhibits localization of function, is the case of Clive Wearing. Clive Wearing was an accomplished musician before contracting the herpes simplex encephalitis in 1985, a virus known to only cause cold sores. The virus spread to his brain causing his hippocampus to be damaged. The
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