Bio-Psychology (10 Marks)

Bio-Psychology

Post-Mortem examinations involve surgical dissection of the brain of a deceased patient. One famous contributor to the studies of the brain is Paul Broca, Broca used post-mortem exams in order in link visible signs of brain damage to how the patient behaved when they were alive. Broca used this to discover that the function of language was located on the left side of the brain; the area which handles with language is called the Broca’s area due to this discovery. Post mortem examinations give a better understanding of rare circumstances of the individual and how they behave during their life, it also using this method it is able to see and abnormalities in the brain for the patient with a known deficit. However Post-Mortem examinations do have their negative factors such as if the area of damaging isn’t clearly visible then locating the area of damage can be difficult in finding the precise area of damage. Also one problem in using this method is that it is very difficult in finding a patient who is willing to donate their brain to be examined.

Scanning techniques have also helped in investigating areas of cortical specialisation in the brain. PET scans assess the metabolic activity indifferent parts of the brain by injecting a radioactive chemical into the bloodstream of the patient which is then measured. The measurements are then put into a computer where a cross-section of the brain can be presented onto the screen. These methods are very helpful with the understanding of the brain and they provide detailed knowledge of areas which are active whilst completing certain tasks such as speaking which would show the Broca’s area being active. Another type of Brain scan is CAT scans which produces clear horizontal sections of the brain and shows a clear visual image of the brain being scanned with x-rays. Scans are very accurate in finding the problems in the brain such as brain damage. Nevertheless scans may raise ethical issues due to the...