The left and right hemispheres of the brain control specific things in the body, physically and logically.
The abilities of the right side of the brain include:
The abilities in the left side of the brain include:
Throughout the years of studying the brain, neuropsychologists have wondered why the brain struggles to use both sides at the same time by doing trials of experiments. These experiments are usually physical activities that work with hand-eye coordination that manipulate the brain. The cerebral hemispheres divided equally right down the center of the brain. Each hemispheres is specialized for certain behaviors such as the ones listed above. The hemispheres communicate with one another through a thick strand of 200-250 million nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. The smaller strand of nerves called the anterior commisure also connects parts of the cerebral hemispheres.
About 90% of the population are right-handed. Of those 90% the right-hand dominant people preferably write, eat, and throw a ball with their right hand. The other 10% are left-hand dominant. Out of these 10% very few of them are ambidextrous.
There are ways to test the brain to see which hemisphere is dominant for language by doing a procedure called the Wada Test. To perform this test you use a anesthetic called sodium amytal is injected into the right or left carotid. The right artery supplies the right cerebral hemisphere and the left artery supplies the left cerebral hemisphere. The right or left hemisphere can be put to sleep. If the left hemisphere is put to sleep in people who have language ability in the left hemisphere, then when asked to speak, they cannot. However if the right hemisphere is put to sleep, then these people will be able to speak and answer questions.
In The Brain
The tachistoscope is used to present visual information to one hemisphere to the other. It requires people to focus on a point in the center of their visual field because each half of a person's visual field projects to the opposite side of the brain. Before different types of brain surgery it is important to identify which cerebral hemisphere is dominant for language so that the neurosurgeon can avoid damaging important areas in the brain such as areas needed for speech and other physical essentials mostly needed to avoid effecting the body.
