Essay/Term paper: Th brain

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Biology

Your brain has two sides ,and each has a distinctly different way of looking
at the world. The more we integrate those two sides, the more developed we
make ourselves. Integration not only increases our ability to creatively
solve problems, but to control physical problems such as epilepsy and
migraines. Even more startling is evidence coming to light that we have
become a "left-brain culture".
Your brain's right and left side have distinctly different ways of
looking at the world. Your two hemispheres are as different from each other
as me to you. The left brain controls the right side of the body (the
exception to this occurs with left handed people which is 15 percent of the
population) and is logical scientific, judgmental and verbal. It's
interested in the facts, and efficiency. The right brain controls the left
side of the body and deals with the creativity and imagination. It is
concerned more with the visual and emotional side of life.
As you read, your left-side is sensibly making connections and analyzing the
meaning of the words, the syntax and other complex relation-ships while
putting it into a "language" you can understand. Meanwhile, the right side
is providing emotional and even humerous cues, recognizing visual
information and causing you to find humor or sadness.
While all of this is going on, the two sides are constantly
communicating with each other across a connecting fiber tract called the
corpus callosum. There is a certain amount of overlap but essentially the
two hemispheres of the brain are like two different personalities that
working alone would serve no efficient purpose, but when functioning
together bring all things into perspective.
The most creative decision making and problem solving come about when both
sides work together. The left brain analyzing issues, problems and
barriers; the right brain generating fresh approaches; and the left brain
translating the into plans of action.
"In a time of vast change like the present, the intuitive side of
the brain operates so fast it can see what's coming," says Dr. Howard
Eisenberg, a medical doctor with a degree in psychology who has studied
hemispheric relationships. "The left brain is too slow, but the right can
see around corners."
An increasing number of medical professionals believe that
being in touch with our brain, especially the right half, can help control
medical problems. For some doctors use "imaginable thinking" to control
everything from migraines to asthma, to high blood pressure. It is said
that by teaching someone to raise to raise their temperature - by imaging
they are sunbathing or in a warm bath- they can control their circulatory
system and therefore the migraine.
Knowledge of our two-sided brain began in the mid-1800's when French
neurologist Paul Broca discovered that injuries to the left side of the
brain resulted in the loss of speech. Damage to the right side. In the
early 1960s, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Roger Sperry proved that patients who
had their corpus callosum severed to try and control epileptic seizures
could no longer communicate between their hemispheres. The struggle can be
seen in the postoperative period when the patient is asked to do a simple
block design. This is a visual, spatial task that the left-hand (controlled
by the right brain in most of us) can do very well but the right hand
(controlled by the language-oriented left brain) does poorly. The right
hand may even intervene to mix up the design.
Some people with epilepsy can control their seizures by
concentrating activity on the hemisphere that is not affected. In the case
of left lobe epilepsy, this can be done by nagging in a right-brain
activity such as drawing.
Our knowledge of the brain is general is only beginning. We know
even less about how the hemispheres operate, Getting in touch with how the
two sides work can only do us good, if just to keep us from walking around
"half-brained".
Diagrams

Parietal Frontal


Occipital Temporal




Parietal
Located behind the frontal lobe and behind and above the temporal lobe,
the parietal lobe plays a major role in sensory functioning - for example,
spatial orientation and integrating sensory information. Reading, writing,
and the performance of mental calculations also depend on the parietal
lobe.
Occipital
The occipital lobe, which occupies the rear of each hemisphere,
receives and assembles visual information. Damage to the occipital lobe can
casue a "blind spot" in one's vision. The size and location of the blind
spot are related to the location and extent of the damage
Frontal
The large frontal lobe extends from the forehead back to the middle of
the skull. It handles numerous high-order cognitive functions, including
planning, organization, judgement, decision making, social graces, and
inhibition of impulses. It is also the centre of voluntry speech and
movement
Temporal
The temporal lobe is located to the side of and below the frontal lobe
(behind the temple). It is responsible for learning and memory as well as
auditory perception (hearing), comprehension of spoken language, and
perception of musical characteristics such as rhythm and pitch.