9/21/2018 0 Comments It's at the tip of my tongue!The brain is a complex organ that relies on communication between all of its different areas, making it difficult to localize where certain functions stem from. However, this idea of localization started with Paul Broca’s discovery that harming a particular area of the brain resulted in a speech impairment. Broca's AreaLOCATION The Broca’s area is located in the frontal lobe or more specifically in the region known as the inferior gyrus. This area is also thought to reside in the left hemisphere of the brain. As previously discussed, the left hemisphere plays a major role in analytical reasoning, but language is also dominant on this side. THE STORY In 1861, Paul Pierre Broca received a patient who had a major infection in his leg. The wound had already begun to slightly decompose, and Broca had little faith in the man’s recovery, let alone survival. However, this man also had a peculiar disorder that was unknown at its time, but would later be described as aphasia, or in this case Broca’s aphasia. Broca’s patient, Louis Victor Leborgne, struggled with the motor production of language. Broca could see the frustration that Leborgne faced, while trying to use his limited speech to convey messages. It was noted that the one of the only consistent words Leborgne could produce was “tan.” There was a clear desire to express his thoughts, but the production was not eminent. Later on, Leborgne died and Broca saw this as an opportunity to see if localization theories of the brain could be true. He did an examination of the brain and discovered a cavity the size of “a chicken’s egg” in Leborgne’s frontal lobe. Interestingly enough, this damage was located on the patient’s left side of the brain. Broca continued to look for more clients like Leborgne and found that each time, there was some kind of damage to the left frontal lobe of the brain. This area became known as the Broca’s area. FUNCTION Broca’s area is most tied to expressive language. It is linked to “language comprehension” and motor movements, as well as “sensorimotor learning and integration.” BROCA’S APHASIA Louis Victor Leborgne was diagnosed with Broca’s aphasia, since he spoke using telegraphic speech and low level syntax structure. He was unable to build full-fledged sentences, and even if he knew what he wanted to say, Leborgne was unable to verbalize his idea using standard rules of language. The best way I can think to describe Broca’s aphasia is when you can’t remember a word, but you are able to describe what the word is. Even though you know the idea of the word, you still cannot recall the specific word that you are visualizing in your mind. This experience is when a word is at the “tip of your tongue." You have an idea of what you want to say, yet you are still unable to vocalize that to your peers. Now think of that on a much larger scale. People with Broca’s aphasia have thoughts and ideas, but it’s their motor planning that inhibits their thoughts to become speech. Takeaway 🎈The Broca's area is located on the left frontal lobe of the brain, and its prime function is to allow expressive language. When this area becomes damaged it can result in Broca’s aphasia, which causes an individual to use telegraphic speech. Next weekWe will dive into another speech localized area of the brain and learn about a different kind of aphasia. Links: psychology.jrank.org/pages/384/Localization-Brain-Function.html www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-brocas-area www.britannica.com/science/Broca-area Images: http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n02/historia/areabroca.gif
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