Brain and Language

Brain and Language

1. Localism

   • Higher functions are localized in different centers of the brain. Especially at the cortex
   • Localism aims to find different centres of the brain responsible for different functions. These centres are either of equal status, or there may be one single centre that is more important than the rest. Language disorders result from deficiencies of these centres.
   • Aphasia is seen as a result of a lesion in a language center
   • Gall
     • Localized to specific parts of the brain
     • Sources of evidence: clinical cases, individual differences, animal models
   • Broca
     • Evidence: clinical case with pathological correlation

2. Associationism

   • Depend of the connections among the several centers of the cortex
   • Linguistic ability is seen as the relationship between images and words
   • Aphasia is the result of broken connections among the centers which are needed for the linguistic function
   • Wernicke
     • He conceptualized the brain as an associative organ, consciousness as a product of associative activity and the “soul”, as the sum of all possible associations (Menninger, Mayman and Pruyser 1968).
   • Lichtheim
     • Lichtheim elaborated Wernicke’s model in 1885 adding a further language center, called concept center. Auditory stimuli can be transmitted to the concept center to receive semantic information or speech expression can by started by the concept center sending concepts to Broca’s region

3. Dynamic localization of function

   • Evolutionary theories emphasize the layered structure of the brain from the most primitive internal/low structures to the later developed and superimposed cortical layer and the role of all these layers in language and communication.
   • JACKSON
   • BROWN

4. Hierarchical or evolution based view

   • Evolution-based theories emphasize the layered structure of the brain from inner/lower and more primitive structures to the later developed and superimposed cortical layer and the role of all of these layers in language and communication.

5. Holism

   • The holistic tradition (e.g., Pierre Marie) maintained that the brain was a homogeneous organ with no specific subparts whereas the localizationists (e.g., Paul Broca) argued that the brain was organized in functionally distinct cortical areas which were each specialized to process a given type of information or implement specific mental operations.
   • Aphasia is a sign of cognitive loss, not a specific language loss.
   • GOLDSTEIN
     • Goldstein argued that a holistic approach would be necessary to fully understand what the body is experiencing.
     • Goldstein argues that humans instinctively dissect the situation in an attempt to understand it better.
     • Goldstein developed an approach where a situation or phenomenon is analyzed holistically, rather than simply looking at an isolated event. Goldstein argues that one must consider each and every phenomenon in reference to the entire situation.