Cerebral Hemispheres

 Left hemisphere—receives information only from the right side of the body.
 Right hemisphere—receives information only from the left side of the body.

The Corpus Callosum

 The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the brain’s left and right hemispheres.

Functions of Left and Right Hemispheres

Left Hemisphere
 Language functions (speaking, reading, writing and understanding language)
 Analytical functions (figuring things out step-by-step; mathematics)
 Controls right side of the body

Right Hemisphere
 Non-verbal abilities (music and art, perceptual and spatial-manipulative skills, expression of emotion, recognition of faces, some
language comprehension)
 Synthetic functions (figuring things out by combining to form wholes)
 Controls left side of the body

Four Lobes of the Cortex

Lobes of the Cerebral Hemispheres
1. Occipital lobe, involved in visual functioning
2. Temporal lobe, involved in hearing, language comprehension
3. Parietal lobe, involved in bodily sensations
4. Frontal lobe, involved in the control of voluntary muscles, speech production, intelligence and personality

Gage's Terrible Accident

The accident occurred on Sept. 13, 1848 in Vermont. Phineas Gage and several railroad co-workers were using blasting
powder to construct a roadbed. In a blasting incident, an iron rod blew up through the left side of Gage’s face and out through the top of his
head. Though the wound in his skull healed in a matter of weeks, Phineas became a different person. From being mild-mannered,
hardworking and emotionally calm individual prior to the accident, Phineas became moody, irresponsible and incapable of participating in
planned activities. The accident altered his personality.

The Frontal Lobes

 Three Major Functions:
1. Motor control—at the very back of the frontal lobes lies the motor cortex, which sends messages to the various muscles
and glands in the body. It is involved in voluntary movements.
2. Speech production—the Broca’s area is known to play a crucial role in speech production.
3. Higher functions—thinking, personality, emotion, making decisions, planning, reasoning and memory are controlled by
the frontal lobes.

Broca's Area
Broca’s area, found in the left frontal lobe, it plays an important role in the control and production of speech.
Damage to Broca’s area results to problems in saying words correctly.

The Parietal Lobes

 The parietal lobes interpret bodily sensations such as pressure, pain, touch, temperature and location of body parts.
 A bond of tissue on the front of the parietal lobe, called somatosensory cortex, receives information about touch in different body
areas.
The Temporal Lobes
 The temporal lobes are found on the sides of the brain right above the ears.
 Their major functions are auditory perception, language comprehension, memory and some emotional control.
 The auditory cortex processes sound coming from the ears.
 An area of the left temporal lobe, Wernicke’s area, is involved in language comprehension.

Wernicke's Area
Wernicke’s area, located in the left temporal lobe, it plays an important role in understanding language
Damage to Wernicke’s area results to problems comprehending words.

The Occipital Lobes

 The occipital lobes are located at the lower back of the brain.
 They are responsible for vision and visual perception, as well as shape, color and motion perception.
 Damage to occipital lobes may cause blindness.

The Association Areas

 Most areas of the cortex are quiet sections but are not dormant, however.
 They are involved in interpreting, integrating and acting on information processed by other parts of the brain.
 They are called association areas because they “associate” various areas and functions in the brain.

The Meninges