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There is something about the Left Brain Right Brain discussion that seems to capture the attention of more than just brain anatomy enthusiasts and ‘necessicists’.

Yes I made that word up – it means someone who has to do something out of necessity. In this instance study brain anatomy.

This week a bit about left brain and right brain. Next week the functions and what happens when one hemisphere is damaged.

Why is understanding Left Brain Right Brain Relevant or Important to Brain Injury?

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• It can help you understand the outcomes and behaviours you might see whatever the cause of brain injury.
• Understanding what areas of the brain might be damaged.
• Working out the difficulties a person might have following damage to specific areas.
• It can assist develop specific strategies to help work around the damage.
• Finally, as always, I am a pretty strong advocate for everyone becoming fascinated by the brain and what it can do.   [/unordered_list]

 Why the interest in Left Brain Right Brain Function?

It seems left brain right brain dominance (or not) has developed a fame all of its own. There are books, special tests, ‘How To’ manuals all aimed at helping you be more left brain, or more right brain, as you prefer.

People pride themselves on being a left or right brain person. On the internet you can find all kinds of tests that talk about showing you if you are right brain dominant and therefore artistic and creative, or left brain dominant, being analytical and logical.

 A Left Brain Right Brain Disclaimer

Always with anything brain there should be a disclaimer. Something like:

1     The world still has a lot to learn about the brain, it’s function, and what happens when the brain is  injured. Some current facts might be proven fact OR fiction one day in the future.

2    The left brain right brain functions we talk about are for MOST people – but not all. As an example: most of the population are right handed but not everyone!

A Simple Left Brain Right Brain Starting Point

The simplest way to begin is to remember what we already know, and sometimes forget:

All parts of the brain work together.

Yes, certain areas of function live in one side of the brain only. Language centres are thought to be in the left hemisphere for most people. Yet both sides are needed to fully use, and integrate our language and speaking skills.

It seems everyone is a little bit right (no pun intended),about left brain right brain function:

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• Each hemisphere (side) does have different functions to perform but one side is not really more important.
• Both hemispheres have a job to do. One does not necessarily work harder, or by itself, for people who show those creative or analytical traits.
• We are not necessarily all Left or all Right brained!  [/unordered_list]

Is the right hemisphere a poor relation of the left?
No, not really.
If you are interested in a bit more, this article argues the left brain right brain myth.

In today’s world it is often presented that the left side is the more important hemisphere. Talked about as the hard-nosed analytical and logical thinking hemisphere. While the right side is often seen as the fluffy, arty creative intuitive hemisphere.

While each hemisphere can function somewhat alone. Both hemispheres together carry out the complex cognitive processes needed for our daily life by working together.

In a joint study (conducted the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences and the University of Melbourne, Australia) the interaction of both hemispheres for was studied using three groups:

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• a group who were deemed mathematically gifted students,
• a group considered of average ability,
• and a group of college students.   [/unordered_list]

The results showed that the college students, and the group designated of average ability showed different use of the left and right hemispheres.

The group deemed mathematically gifted showed no difference.

This along with other differences identified, suggested that close work and cooperation between the hemispheres “is a unique functional characteristic of the mathematically gifted brain”.  Interesting when you think that mathematics would probably be considered a definite left brain logical, analytical function.

In other words Left and Right working together generally gets better results than working separately.

The Left Brain Right Brain Super-Highway

To share information between the two sides, there is the equivalent of an information superhighway between the two hemispheres; joining them, and whizzing information from one side to the other.

It is called the Corpus Callosum. You will see it in brain pictures and diagrams looking like a large piece of white elastic joining the brain.

This entertaining article describes Einstein’s enlarged corpus callosum along with more information about this superhighway.

In the late 1950’s a number of people with severe debilitating epilepsy had their Corpus Callosum cut to prevent their seizures travelling. This has provided significant opportunity for research about Left Brain Right Brain. More on this next week.

Left to Right and Right To Left

To confuse us, most functions cross over.

Huh!

Yes the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa.

If a person has a stroke, tumour or other damage to one side of their brain, any impairment of limb function will most likely be on the opposite side to the damage in the brain.

Then to further confuse – not all functions cross over. Take sensory functions as an example – our vision, touch, hearing cross over but it is thought our sense of smell is on the same side.

Oh and just a final point of confusion if you are left handed it is most likely your speech centre is still in your left hemisphere, as it is with right handed people. It has not changed sides!

And Finally

Next week more about the functions of each hemisphere, what happens when one or other hemisphere is damaged. Along with some of the fascinating research that has been done.

Finally here is a short video featuring a man who had his corpus callosum surgically cut to treat severe epilepsy. Known as split brain it has helped understanding of the functions of both hemispheres and the amazing properties of our human brain: