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Understanding: • The cerebral hemispheres are responsible for higher order functions
Lateralization of Brain Function Understanding: • The left cerebral hemisphere receives sensory inputs from sensory receptors in the right side of the body and the right side of the visual field in both eyes and vice versa for the right hemisphere
Understanding: • The left cerebral hemisphere controls muscle contraction in the right side of the body and vice versa for the right hemisphere
Contralateral Processing Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on April 15, 2021 The phrase “left and right brain” refers to the anatomical halves, or hemispheres, of your brain. It’s popularly believed that the left and right hemispheres are distinct, controlling
separate aspects of your cognitive functions and dictating certain personality traits. Studies have recently shown that the left and right separation is misunderstood. The brain is our motherboard, storage, operating system, and more. The nuances of its functions can’t be summarized in a black-and-white dichotomy, which is how the
left-and-right-brain idea came around. The brain is divided into symmetrical left and right hemispheres. Each hemisphere is in charge of the opposite side of the body, so your right brain controls your left hand. The right hemisphere also takes in sensory input from your left side and vice versa. The brain is segmented into regions called lobes. Your lobes
isolate your brain’s functions to specific areas. While there is a left brain and a right brain, their use in popular culture has created a widespread misunderstanding. It’s common to believe that the left brain is for logical thinking and the right brain is for creativity. People categorize themselves as being left or
right brain-oriented depending on their interests and skills. Scientists have been able to look closer at the brain and see that it’s more complicated than “left = logical.” It wasn’t until the 1960s when split-brain surgeries, a treatment of epilepsy, gave scientists the chance to investigate each half of the brain separately. Scientists deduced that the left brain was better at language and rhythm, while the right brain
was better at emotions and melody. However, this doesn’t mean that the two halves are entirely separate. The myth of the totally opposite hemispheres persists for a variety of reasons. With all that said, are there any differences between the two sides of the brain, other than what side of the body they control? A study at the University of Utah has shined a light on the brain. After analyzing brain data from 1,011 young people, the evaluators concluded that both halves of the brain are used regularly, not one or the other for any particular activity. It’s still true that language is left-oriented and emotions are right-oriented. It’s also true that the lobes of the brain have specific jobs. But no evidence suggests that a person’s left or right brain is stronger than the other. It’s all about the neural connections. When you experience sensory input, process it, and take action, neurons in your brain light up with activity. All of these pieces require a different part of the brain, but since they are part of the same neural network, certain areas of the brain have stronger connections than others. A complex world equals a complex brain. The millions of stimuli that our brain is processing aren’t black-and-white, so there isn’t a clear cut area for everything. Our brain often juggles stimuli from one area to another using these neural pathways. While the temporal lobe governs your ability to hear music, multiple parts of the brain are put to work when you have an emotional reaction to the music, internalize the musical rhythms, and follow the melody. Not Very DifferentWhile the two hemispheres have their own domains, they don’t have as much influence on personalities as initially thought. You might not be able to refer to yourself as left or right-brained anymore, but the personality traits are still uniquely part of your brain. What does the right side of the hemisphere control?The brain is divided into symmetrical left and right hemispheres. Each hemisphere is in charge of the opposite side of the body, so your right brain controls your left hand. The right hemisphere also takes in sensory input from your left side and vice versa.
What functions are controlled by the right side of the brain?The right side of your brain is in charge of visual awareness, imagination, emotions, spatial abilities, face recognition, music awareness, 3D forms, interpreting social cues, and left-hand control. It performs some math, but only rough estimations and comparisons.
What does the left cerebral hemisphere control?The left cerebral hemisphere controls movement of the right side of the body. Depending on the severity, a stroke affecting the left cerebral hemisphere may result in functional loss or motor skill impairment of the right side of the body, and may also cause loss of speech.
What happens if the right hemisphere of the brain is damaged?With right hemisphere brain damage (known as RHBD or RHD), a person may have trouble with things like attention, perception, and memory, as well as loss of mobility and control on the left side of the body, since each hemisphere controls functions on the opposite side of the body.
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