Language

Language and Communication



[Similar images on p. 146, Carter] Catscan image credit, John norseen, George Washington University. Reveals differential patterns of functional brain activation. Shown are neural activation patterns associated with four different operations within the realm of verbal processing. Shown is the left hemisphere and most people are left hemisphere dominant for language processing.


Hearing words show temporal cortex activation (location of auditory cortex); seeing words shows occipital cortex activation (visual cortex); speaking words shows frontal (motor cortex); and generating words shows prefrontal cortex activation (uhhhh.... executive functions, coming up with new ideas, response flexibility, following rules).

Conceptual over view, cognitive science:

LOCALIZATION of Function: specific regions (locations) of the brain have specific functions. Damage to that region leads to impairment or loss of specific functions. In the absence of damage, individuals with varying degrees of efficiency and/or interconnnectivity in that region may show varying degrees of proficiency in it's specific function. Taken to an extreme, this concept suggests MODULARITY wherein independent modules of the mind-brain perform specific and unique processing on particular forms of information.

DISTRIBUTION of Function: any function or process of the mind-brain will involve multiple regions (either nuclei or pathways) distributed throughout the nervous system. Therefore, the location is not as important as the overall mass action of the brain. Taken a bit to an extreme suggests the concept of EQUIPOTENTIALITY wherein any brain region can be organized or re-organized to perform any task. Recovery of Function is also possible to an extent we once did not realize.

Tha Main areas: BROCA'S AREA, frontal, and WERNICKE'S AREA, temporal.

Varieties of APHASIA (language disorder; Carter, p. 147):
1. Broca's aphasia - motor, nonfluent, expressive
2. Wernicke's aphasia - sensory, receptive
3. Conduction aphasia - central
4. Anomic aphasia - anomia, naming items
5. Transcortical motor aphasia
6. Transcortical sensory aphasia

Review of the "A"s so far:

Amnesia, Agnosia, Aphasia, Anomia, Ataxia (motor), Apraxia (motor-conceptual)

Parietal and Occipital Lobes

Week 5: Parietal Lobes (Chap 5) and Occipital Lobes (Chap 6)

Parietal Lobes (Chap 5)

Anatomical items: anterior and posterior regions

1. anterior region - foreward most/anterior border is the posterior central sulcus/gyrus

• primary somatosensory cortex (sensory strip)
  
• secondary somatosensory cortex
• tactile perception
• body sense

2. posterior region - no clear/hard borders

• ALL tertiary cortex
  
• spatial orientation/spatial neglect
• some cases of visual agnosia
• APRAXIA; disorder of practical/purposeful/intentional motor behavior
• cross-modal integration/language (PTO, remember?)
  

Occipital Lobes (Chap 6) - the visual perception lobes

• primary - basic visual functions
• secondary - visual perceptual functions
• tertiary - higher order perception and inter-sensory integration (PTO, remember?)
  

Temporal Lobes

Week 4/Chapter 4: The Temporal Lobes (and memory)

Anatomical considerations:

Temporal lobe is like a peninsula, or the thumb in the hand brain

Lateral portion - outer surface; neocortex = new cortex (thumb nail side)

Mesial portion - inner or middle surface; paleocortex = old cortex (thumb pad side)

Medial temporal lobe - deep structures, not actually 'sub'cortical, because it is like a cortical roll up. Basically, the hippocampus.

7 Functions of the temporal lobes? (see p. 92 for list, and chapter for details)

Heavily involved in memory and perceptual processes.

1. Audition; primary, secondary and tertiary auditory cortical zones in temporal lobe

2. Vision (chap 6 also, Occipital Lobes)

3. Language (chap 7 also)

4. Attention

5. Cross-modal integration

6. Memory - see Memory Max powerpoint at Bb

7. Personality

Cases studies in amnestic disorders involving temporal lobes. The "Hollywood Amnesia" syndrome is usually unrealistic.

Frontal Lobes

Week 3/Chapter 3: terms and topics for the frontal lobes

Executive functions?
Personality? Humanness?
Intelligence? Methodological issues: comparing lesions; quantitative (IQ, Category Test) versus qualitative changes (abstract and concrete thought).

Frontal lobe has a range of specific functions associated with various divisions and features:

1. Motor and premotor cortex - voluntary motor control and planning
2. Broca's area - on motor/premotor cortex; control of speech, if damaged, "motor aphasia"
3. Prefrontal cortex - a bit more complex; social behavior? intellegence?
4. Orbital-frontal region (secondary taste & smell cortex, reward/pleasure of tastes and odors)
5. Olfactory bulb/nerve - "primary olfactory cortex", frontal lobes are on top of it