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Mass Action Principle
In neuroscience, the mass action principle suggests that the proportion of the brain that is injured is directly proportional to the decreased ability of memory functions. In other words, memory cannot be localized to a single cortical area, but is instead distributed throughout the cortex. This theory is contrasted by functional specialization. This is one of two principles that Karl Lashley published in 1950, alongside the equipotentiality principle. Early theories In the 19th century, animal researchers and scientists were divided into two main groups in terms of how they believe the brain compensated for induced brain damage. The redundancy theorists hypothesized that any lesioned section of cerebral mass had an almost duplicate section, usually on the opposing hemisphere. This "back-up" area was considered to be what takes over the functions of the lesioned area. On the other hand, vicariation theorists believed that different areas of the brain with different functions cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Functional Specialization (brain)
In neuroscience, functional specialization is a theory which suggests that different areas in the brain are specialized for different functions.Flourens, M. J. P. (1824) Recherces experimentales sur les propretes et les fonctions du systeme nerveux dans les animaux vertebres. Paris: J.B. Balliere.Lashley, K. S. (1929) Brain mechanisms and intelligence. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Historical origins Phrenology, created by Franz Joseph Gall (1758–1828) and Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1776–1832) and best known for the idea that one's personality could be determined by the variation of bumps on their skull, proposed that different regions in one's brain have different functions and may very well be associated with different behaviours. Gall and Spurzheim were the first to observe the crossing of pyramidal tracts, thus explaining why lesions in one hemisphere are manifested in the opposite side of the body. However, Gall and Spurzheim did not attempt to justify phrenolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
