A01: Scientists believed in the holistic theory of the brain (that all parts of the brain were involved in the processing of thought and action in the brain). However in the 19th century, Paul Broca and Karl Wernicke discovered that specific areas of the brain are associated with specific physical and psychological functions; parts of the brain were responsible for different body parts and different task, so if one part was damaged it would suggest the functions linked with that part of the brain would also be affected.
Lateralisation of the right and left hemispheres, dominate over the opposite side of the body - the right hemisphere dominates the left side of the body and vis vera. The cerebral cortex is about 3mm thick and its the highly developed part of the brain, and separates humans from animals - since its bigger it is more developed to preform tasks that require higher cognitive ability.
Slide 2
The cortex and its centres:
The motor area is involved in the both hemispheres of the Frontal lobe, and it controls voluntary movements in the opposite side of the body - damage to this area could cause loss of control over fine movements.
The somatosensory area of the Parietal lobe (separated from motor area by the central sulcus) is involved with sensory information from the skin. Eg, heat, temperature, pressure, touch. Amount of somatosensory in a particular area of the body shows how sensitive that part is, e.g. receptors of the hand and face occupy half of the somatosensory area.
The auditory area is closely linked with the Temporal lobe of the brain
The visual area is located in the Occipital lobe,
