Neuro Non-Test
Storyboard Text
- The School of Hippocrates: How does language work?
- Yes student, what's your question?
- Of course I can!
- Can you understand me?
- But how!?
- Hippocrates, I have a question.
- It's important to know that some areas all the way through the auditory system are tonotopic.
- That's right! The first place we will learn about is the ear.
- To answer that question, we need to think about a few different parts of our body necessary for Speech and Hearing
- I can guess the first one. The Ear!
- In order to best understand the ear, let's take a look in person!
- First, sound waves travel into the ear in the form of acoustic energy.
- That energy is changed into mechanical energy by the ossicles.
- Then, mechanical energy is changed into hydraulic energy at the oval window of the cochlea.
- The waves of hydraulic energy then travel to the Organ of Corti deep in the choclea.
- Hair cells in the Organ of Corti are moved which cause the energy to change into electrochemical energy. The electrochemical energy travels along the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brainstem.
- The cochlear branch of CN VIII then travels to the cochlear nuclei
- From there, some of nerve fibers decussate or split from the CN and go through the superior olivary complex. It's called this because of its resemblance to an olive!
- The cochlea looks like a snail shell. Different frequencies are detected at different parts of the shell.
- This means that different frequency sounds are detected in different places.
- This arrangement is mirrored in the inferior colliculus and Heschl's gyrus.
- Auditory information is used a few places in the brain but language is processed in Wernicke's area
- Carl Wernicke first identified this area. Neuroscientists believe that this area is important for attaching meaning to other's speech.
- This is how I know what you are saying when you talk to me!
- We know about the connection to language in Wernicke's area due to damage. A person with damage to this area has what's called Wernicke's aphasia.
- A person with Wernicke's aphasia will have problems grasping the meaning of spoken words and sentences.
- ???
- Hello I am can be it tomorrow.
- Hello my name is...
- Some of the language you hear may be sent to the hippocampus in your brain. There you may make it a long term memory or your brain will choose to discard it as unimportant.
- Well that requires other functions within the brain!
- But then what happens when I want to say something back?
- The first thing we'll talk about is how you decide what you're going to say!
- What do I say?!?
- Why isn't he saying anything?
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