ERIC Number: ED151750
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1976-Nov
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Organization of Cognitive Functions in the Brain.
Smith, Aaron
Neuropsychological research on the effects of hemispherectomy-the excision of one of the cerebral hemispheres-in children and adults adds to knowledge about the division of labor between the left cerebral hemisphere, which specializes in language and verbal cognitive functions, and the right hemisphere, which specializes in nonlanguage functions. Comparisons of effects of left hemispherectomy in 28 infants and of right hemispherectomy in 17 infants revealed no systematic differences in language or nonlanguage functions or in their subsequent development. Findings for adult hemispherectomy patients showed that there is significantly greater recovery of language functions after left hemispherectomy than of nonlanguage functions after right hemispherectomy. The findings suggest that the biological substrata for language and nonlanguage cognitive functions are duplicated and present in each hemisphere at birth, and that the plasticity of language functions in early life, though diminishing with age and verbal maturation, is present in adulthood. Findings relating to hemispheric functions may have applications for early detection of children with reading and other learning disabilities. (GW)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Orton Society, Inc. (27th, New York City, November 2-6, 1976)