The human brain is an incredible thing. Without a doubt, you’ve heard somebody described as “right brained” or “left brained” at least once before. Psychologists accentuate the difference between the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere of the brain, describing the left brain as logical, rational, analytical and objective. The right brain is the “creative” side, associated with aesthetics, feelings, intuition, and subjectivity. In reality, the differences between the right brain and the left brain might be exaggerated in popular culture, however there still are some key differences between the two.
The left brain specializes in language actions such as vocabulary, speaking, speaking and writing. At times, the right brain is referred to as the “mute side of the brain,” excelling at nonverbal and spatial tasks, being linked to artistic ability and facial perception.
Some evidence suggests that the left hemisphere is involved most when it comes to well rehearsed or routine processing, and the right hemisphere comes into play when it comes to processing novel situations. The left side is in charge of the right side of the body, and the right side is in charge of the left side. But many simple tasks need the involvement of both hemispheres, and therefore communication between the two is necessary.
This is where the corpus callosum comes into play. It links the two hemispheres together and makes communication and coordination between the two possible. The corpus callosum lies along the fissure between the left and right hemispheres and is responsible for the transfer different kinds of information from one side to the next.
At times, though, a procedure named corpus callosotomy is necessary, generally a last resort to treat intractable epilepsy. This surgery results in the corpus callosum being severed to a certain degree. At first, doctors will only try to remove one third of the corpus callosum, but if epileptic seizures persist, another one third will be lesioned, leaving only one third of the corpus callosum, and most information transfer between the two hemispheres greatly reduced. To be continued in part two….
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies.
