Split Brain Syndrome Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Topic: Split Brain Syndrome
• Focus: Causes, effects, and implications of split brain
• Context: Involves the cerebral cortex and the corpus callosum

The Corpus Callosum

• Definition: A bundle of nerve fibers beneath the cerebral cortex
• Function: Connects left and right brain hemispheres, facilitating communication
• Analogy: Acts as a highway or relay center between hemispheres

Split Brain Condition

• Explanation: Occurs when the corpus callosum is severed or damaged
• Consequence: Left and right hemispheres cannot communicate

Causes of Severing the Corpus Callosum

• Medical Procedure: Sometimes performed to treat epilepsy
  • Rationale: To prevent seizures from spreading from one hemisphere to the other

Hemispheric Localization

• Left Hemisphere: Primarily controls speech
• Right Hemisphere: Controls perception and spatial relationships
• Brain Functionality: Contralateral control (each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body)

Visual Field and Processing

• Complexity: Eyes have hemifields, visual information crosses over

Experiment Examples

• Example 1: Showing a baseball
  • Observation: Patient verbally identifies baseball because the left brain processes speech
• Example 2: Showing a screwdriver
  • Task: Patient picks up the object due to right brain processing spatial information
  • Verbal Response: Cannot verbally identify the screwdriver (right brain processes not linked to speech)

Psychological Implications

• Normal Function: Non-split brain individuals transfer visual info across hemispheres for verbalization
• Split Brain Effect: Lack of communication prevents identification and verbalization when processed by the non-verbal hemisphere

Conclusion

• Summary: Split brain is the result of severed communication between the brain's hemispheres, affecting perception and speech processing
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