Introduction: Silencing the Inner Me

PART I  Cerebral Lateralization

The Left and Right Hemispheres of the Brain Are Different

Disconnection of the cerebral hemispheres reveals their individual specializations

The two hemispheres process information differently in most people

The left and right hemispheres differ in their auditory specializations

Handedness is associated with cerebral lateralization

Right-Hemisphere Damage Impairs Specific Types of Cognition

In prosopagnosia, faces are unrecognizable

et

Left Hemisphere Damage Can Cause Aphasia

Damage to a left anterior speech zone causes nonfluent (or Broca’s) aphasia

Damage to a left posterior speech zone causes fluent (or Wernicke’s) aphasia

Widespread left-hemisphere damage can obliterate language capabilities

Disconnection of language regions may result in specific verbal problems

BOX 15.2: Studying Connectivity in the Living Brain

Brain mapping helps us understand the organization of language in the brain

RESEARCHERS AT WORK: Noninvasive stimulation mapping reveals details of the brain’s language areas

Functional neuroimaging technologies let us visualize activity in the brain’s language zones during
speech

PART II  Verbal Behavior: Speech and Reading

Human Languages Share Basic Features

Language Has Both Inborn and Learned Components

Nonhuman primates engage in elaborate vocal behavior

Many different species engage in vocal communication

Reading Skills Are Difficult to Acquire and Are Frequently Impaired

Brain damage may cause specific impairments in reading

Some people struggle throughout their lives to read

PART III  Recovery from Brain Damage

Stabilization and Reorganization Are Crucial for Recovery of Function

BOX 15.3: Contact Sports Can Be Costly

Rehabilitation and Retraining Can Help Recovery from Brain and Spinal Cord Injury

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS: The Amazing Resilience of a Child’s Brain

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