1 2 3 4 5
Localisation Strength Strength Limitation Limitation Strength
of function Evidence from neurosurgery Evidence from brain scans Animal studies B’s and W’s are pants Case study – Phineas Gage
Damage to brain areas Petersen et al. – activity in Lashley et al. – removed 10- Dick and Tremblay – 2% Pole removed portion of his
linked to mental disorders – W’s during listening task, B 50% cortex removed in rats modern researchers think brain – mostly left frontal
neurosurgery last resort, in reading learning route through maze language in just those lobe
target specific areas Tulving et al. – LTM, episodic No area more important regions, holistic Went from calm, reserved --
e.g. cingulotomy – isolate and semantic in different than another in ability, Brain imaging e.g. fMRI, > quick-tempered, rude, no
cingulate gyrus parts of PFC learning in all of cortex clarity in neural processes longer himself
Doherty et al. – 44 OCD w Objective, scientific Higher cognitive processes Language streams e.g. Hard to generalise
cingulotomy, 32 weeks after: e.g. learning – holistic regions in RH, thalamus in Long time ago
30% success, 14% partial subcortex Subjective interpretation of
success researcher
Hemispheric Strength Limitation Strength Limitation
lateralisation Research support One united brain Advantageous in RW Plasticity
Hemispheres process LH analyser RH synthesiser Adaptive – 2 tasks at once – Neural plasticity instead is
differently wrong – no dominant efficient adaptive
Fink et al. – PET scans side/different personality Rogers et al. – lateralised Holland et al.: language
showed active brain areas Nielsen et a. – brain scans, chickens could find food and function can literally switch
during visual processing task 1000+ people aged 7-29, look out for predators, sides
‘normal’ ppts attended to used hemispheres for ‘normal’ chickens can’t
global elements of image, certain tasks
RH regions active, LH
dominant looking at finer
detail
Feature of normal brain
Split-brain Strength Limitation Strength
research Research support Generalisation issues Ethics (Sperry)
Gazzaniga: split-brain better (Sperry) Split-brain operation outside
than normal on identifying Hard to establish causality research – no deliberate
odd one out Behaviour of ppts compared harm
Normal brain: LH’s better to neurotypical control All procedures explained,
cognitive strategies ‘watered group (none had epilepsy – full informed consent
down’ by inferior RH CV) Trauma of operation and
repeated testing over long
period, didn’t understand
, what they’d agreed to
Plasticity Limitation Strength Limitation
Negative plasticity Old age and plasticity Seasonal brain changes
Negative behavioural Reduces with age Response to environmental
consequences of plasticity Bezzola et al – 40 hours golf changes
Adapting to prolonged drug training, changed neural SCM – sleep-wake, shrinks in
use --> poor cognitive representations of animals during spring and
functioning in later life, movement ages 40-60 expands throughout autumn
increased dementia risk fMRI: increased motor (Tramontin and Brenowitz)
60-80% amputees – cortex activity in novices BUT
phantom limb syndrome, compared to control – more Mostly animal research
unpleasant, painful efficient neural
sensations representations after
Due to cortical training
reorganisation in
somatosensory cortex due
to limb loss
Functional Strength Limitation Limitation
Recovery RWA Cognitive reserve Small samples
Neurorehabilitation Schneider et al. – brain Ongoing research
Axonal growth encourages injury chance of a disability- Banerjee et al. – people had
new therapies to be tried free recovery – better if a total anterior circulation
e.g. constraint-induced more education (‘cognitive stroke (TACS) treated with
movement w stroke reserve’), 40% w DFR had stem cells, all recovered
patients, use affected area 16+ years, 10% less than 12 more than typical level of
while restrained 4%
Helps medical professionals Typical of functional
to know when to make recovery experimentation
interventions BUT
Only 5 ppts and no control
group
Circadian Strength Limitation Strength Limitation Limitation
Rhythms RWA Methodological issues Medical treatment Individual differences Temperature over light
Desynchronisation – internal Lack of control in Siffre: Rhythms coordinate basic Main studies e.g. Siffre have Buhr et al. – temperature
clock not synchronised with artificial light, other research processes e.g. heart rate low ppt numbers changes set timing of body
