Yes and no: different parts of the brain DO have different functionality and the language center IS in the left half, but you’d need your whole brain to demonize body parts since a lot more than just language would be involved in the reasoning, the decision, the planning and the execution…
Minor correction. Features like the language center are shared between both hemispheres, it’s just that typically the left side is more developed.
Though, with the plasticity of the brain, it isn’t necessarily always the case. Brains are very capable of rewiring themselves. If it’s easier to (re)develop language on the right side, due to left side trauma, that’s entirely possible.
In general the left brain does language. It’s been proven by observing people who had their hemispheres separated. The whole story about the left brain calling the left side of the body names is pretty speculative though.
It’s also true that we tend to exaggerate the whole left/right brain thing in popular culture. The idea of left or right-brained personalities is one example of a pretty inaccurate characterization of how the brain works. But there are very real differences between the hemispheres.
All of that is just based mostly on recent interviews with brain scientists I’ve listened to, I’m not an expert!
The left hemisphere features the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, which are mainly responsible for finding words (Wernicke) and stringing them together to form a sentence (Broca). That’s why they are 2 general types of aphasia if the brain gets damaged.
Patients with Wernicke or receptive aphasia speak gibberish because they cannot find the correct words or make up new ones. Expressive or Broca aphasia patients present with what sounds like a severe stutter.
Depending on the damage and the exact location it is possible that either of the patients has little to no trouble understanding language. It’s not known how language is processed exactly in the brain, as far as I know. We just know where the hotspots are.
Isn’t that left brain/right brain stuff pseudoscience?
Yes and no: different parts of the brain DO have different functionality and the language center IS in the left half, but you’d need your whole brain to demonize body parts since a lot more than just language would be involved in the reasoning, the decision, the planning and the execution…
Minor correction. Features like the language center are shared between both hemispheres, it’s just that typically the left side is more developed.
Though, with the plasticity of the brain, it isn’t necessarily always the case. Brains are very capable of rewiring themselves. If it’s easier to (re)develop language on the right side, due to left side trauma, that’s entirely possible.
In general the left brain does language. It’s been proven by observing people who had their hemispheres separated. The whole story about the left brain calling the left side of the body names is pretty speculative though.
It’s also true that we tend to exaggerate the whole left/right brain thing in popular culture. The idea of left or right-brained personalities is one example of a pretty inaccurate characterization of how the brain works. But there are very real differences between the hemispheres.
All of that is just based mostly on recent interviews with brain scientists I’ve listened to, I’m not an expert!
Forget left and right brain.
You’re either all brain or no brain.
For me, no brain.
The left hemisphere features the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, which are mainly responsible for finding words (Wernicke) and stringing them together to form a sentence (Broca). That’s why they are 2 general types of aphasia if the brain gets damaged.
Patients with Wernicke or receptive aphasia speak gibberish because they cannot find the correct words or make up new ones. Expressive or Broca aphasia patients present with what sounds like a severe stutter.
Depending on the damage and the exact location it is possible that either of the patients has little to no trouble understanding language. It’s not known how language is processed exactly in the brain, as far as I know. We just know where the hotspots are.