Brain and Language

Where is it?
What is the geography
of the brain?
Physical structures
Brain divided into two hemispheres
Hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum,
a bundle of nerves that serves as the conduit of
communication between the two sides of the brain
Brain covered by a inch thick membrane called
the cortex thought to be responsible for higher
cognitive functioning
Speech Areas
Brocas Area
Seems to govern production of language
Adjacent to the motor center that governs the speech organs
Organizes the articulation patterns of speech
Wernickes Area
Seems to govern comprehension of speech
Located near the auditory cortex
Arcuate fasciculus
Connection between the two
Allows the interaction of production and comprehension
Angular Gyrus
Connects visual cortex to the auditory cortex
Allows us to read



Models of Language Processing
Production of language
Wernickes area activated when accessing lexicon
Demonstrates WA is involved in associating sound patterns
with meaning
Arcuate fasciculus transmits phonetic information from
Wernickes to Brocas area
Demonstrates that AF is involved in breaking information from
WA down into component pieces
Brocas area interprets information from arcuate fasciculus;
transmits articulatory information to motor cortex
Demonstrates that BA takes information from AF and controls
the mechanics of production
Speech
More Processing
Reading a word (silently)
Visual cortex processes visual information from eyes
Angular gyrus associates written word with lexical
information
Reading processing problems are possibly associated with
this area
Wernickes area activated during lexical accessing and
makes the meaning available
Reading aloud (follows steps on previous slide)
And Even More
Hearing and repeating
Auditory cortex processes information from the ears
Right ear advantageis this true for you?
Wernickes area matches auditory stimulus to lexical
information
Arcuate fasciculus transmits phonetic information from
Wernickes to Brocas area
Brocas area interprets information received from AF and
transmits articulatory instructions to the motor cortex
Motor cortex directs movement of muscles for articulation
Language Disorders
Aphasias are inability to perceive, process, or
produce language due to physical damage to the
brain
Brocas aphasia results in an inability to produce
sequences of sounds in fluent speech; tendency to
eliminate any functional vocabulary
Non-fluent aphasia
Wernickes aphasia results in inability to
understand speech and inability to speak
meaningfully
Fluent aphasia
Acquired dyslexia and Acquired dysgraphia due to
angular gyrus damage