Article Abstract:
To be able to read and write, it is necessary to recognize words. Studies of patients with a neurological disorder, unilateral neglect, provide evidence that the information for words is spatially coded for in the brain. Patients with unilateral neglect have lesions on one side of the brain, and they have difficulty responding when stimulated on the side of the brain opposite to the lesion. A patient with unilateral neglect with a lesion on the left parietal lobe of the brain was studied. The patient could read the left side of words, but made errors with the right side. However, it was shown that the patient had difficulties with the second half of words. The patient had trouble with the second half of words, even if the words were presented backwards so that the second half of the word was on the left-hand side, or if the words were presented vertically. It was concluded that the center of the word is the portion that is recognized. To test this hypothesis, the patient was shown the words, 'contrast' and 'contrastiveness'. The patient was able to recognize the word 'contrast' within the word 'contrastiveness', but not the word 'contrast' alone. Studies such as these can lead to a better understanding of how the brain works. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
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Article Abstract:
A patient with a lesion in the right frontal lobe demonstrated a disorder in visual imagery but no neglect for actual stimuli, in contrast to previous studies that have consistently linked the two disorders. The lesion's location suggests that the frontal lobe plays a specific role in some types of mental imagery but not of spatial perception. The disorders usually are linked to damage to the parieto or temporo-occipital cortex.
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Article Abstract:
Positron emission tomography (PET) studies performed by Wayne C. Drevets and colleagues reveals that local neuronal activity in the brain associated with memory is influenced by the blood flow in the brain. The PET enables the accurate measurement of blood flow in the brain. The PET studies reveal that there is a modulation of blood flow during voluntary concentration of the senses.
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