Toadstool. Keychain. Bookworm. These are words that we understand as representing either a fungus, an organizational method for hardware or a studious individual. They are also words that would take on a completely different meaning were it not for our functioning corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres of our brain. So much more than just a means of connecting the halves of the brain, the corpus callosum is crucial for maximum cerebral efficiency.
For an individual that is missing that connection, these words (and many others) present a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the human brain’s ability to process different stimuli in each hemisphere. While technology has advanced to the point where such observations can …show more content…
During the procedure, the corpus callosum is bisected to inhibit the spread of major epileptic seizures from one hemisphere of the brain to the next. Today, this procedure is usually done in smaller increments rather than the original full separation of the hemispheres. A full callosotomy is only needed if the conditions remain severe after the initial partial separation (Blume, 1997). The anterior portion of the corpus callosum (herein, the “CC”) is severed first. If this does not sufficiently alleviate the condition, the remaining 1/3 of the CC may be separated as well (Blume, 1997). This should allow for a potentially broader range of observations than if the entire CC is lacerated because some of the fibers will remain intact and the hemispheres will continue to communicate to some degree. Indeed, some of the tests performed have shown significant differences in results between patients that have had different degrees of …show more content…
Giulia Prete and colleagues studied the theory that the processing of pleasant and unpleasant sounds occurs in different cerebral hemispheres. For the sake of this paper, I will be referring to “music” as musical concepts as accepted in Western cultures. Some split-brain studies have localized perceptions of music based on the subjective idea of consonance and dissonance, but that which is perceived as consonant in Western culture may not be considered as such outside of the West. I suspect that although the reaction to a particular grouping of sounds may be awful to one listener, another listener from a different culture may find it pleasing and the same sound would localize to different hemispheres in each, depending upon their