What does the left hemisphere of the brain mean. The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for good mood

Perhaps the most amazing organ in the human body is the brain. Scientists have not yet thoroughly studied it, although considerable steps have been taken in this direction. This article will talk about what the brain is responsible for and how it can be developed.

basic information

At the very beginning, it is worth saying that it consists of two hemispheres - the right and the left. These parts are separated by the cerebral cortex, but the exchange of information occurs through the so-called To illustrate the work of both hemispheres, a rather simple analogy with a computer can be drawn. Yes, in this case left side The brain is responsible for the sequential execution of tasks, i.e. it is the main processor. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, can perform several tasks at the same time, and it can be compared to an additional processor that is not the main one.

The work of the hemispheres

In short, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for analysis and logic, while right hemisphere- for images, dreams, fantasies, intuition. For each person, both parts of this organ should function evenly, however, one of the hemispheres will always work more actively, and the other - as an auxiliary element. From this we can draw a simple conclusion that creative people have a more developed right hemisphere of the brain, while business people have a left one. Let's take a closer look at what functions the left hemisphere of the brain performs.



Verbal aspect

Responsible for linguistic and verbal It controls speech, and also manifests itself in the ability to write and read. Considering in this vein, it is also worth clarifying that this hemisphere perceives all words literally.

Thinking

As mentioned above, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the analysis of facts, as well as their logical processing. In this case, it is the received information that is processed. Emotions and value judgments do not come into play here. I would also like to say that the left hemisphere processes all information sequentially, performing the assigned tasks one after another, and not in parallel, as the right hemisphere can “do”.

Control

It is also worth mentioning that the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the activity and work of the right side of the human body. That is, if someone raised their right arm or leg, this would mean that the command was sent by the left hemisphere of the brain.

Mathematics

What else is the left hemisphere of the brain responsible for? It is it that is involved in the event that it is necessary to solve certain mathematical problems. Interesting fact: This part of the brain also recognizes various symbols and numbers.

About people

What can be generally said about people whose left hemisphere of the brain is more active and developed? So, such individuals are organized, they love order, they always comply with all deadlines and schedules. They easily perceive information by ear and almost always reach their goal, since their actions are subject to common sense, and not to the impulses of the soul. However, one cannot say about such personalities that art is alien to them. Not at all, but in creative activity these people will choose what has form and meaning, refusing abstraction and innuendo.

About development

Often people are interested in the question of how to develop the left hemisphere of the brain. It is worth saying that it is possible to do this. It is enough just to periodically train your “computer”. So, the following exercises can be useful for this:

  1. Physical activity on the body is closely related to the work of the brain. If more time is given to the development of the right half of the body, accordingly, the left hemisphere of the brain will work more actively.
  2. Since the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for logic and solving mathematical problems, you need to devote more time to this particular activity. You need to start with simpler mathematical exercises, gradually raising the bar. Activity this hemisphere will undoubtedly lead to its further development.
  3. A fairly simple tip on how to develop the left hemisphere of the brain is the need to solve crossword puzzles. In this case, a person most often acts analytically. And this leads to the activation of the left side of the brain.
  4. And, of course, you can pick up specialized tests developed by psychologists that help activate and develop the desired hemisphere of the human brain.

Harmonious work

It should also be mentioned that both hemispheres of the brain must be developed simultaneously. After all, only diversified developed person is talented, more competitive in the labor market and unique in its capabilities. Moreover, there are people who are called ambidexters. Both hemispheres of the brain are equally developed. They can perform all actions equally well with both their right and left hands. Such people do not have a pronounced, leading hemisphere, both parts of the brain are equally involved in the work. You can achieve this state with hard work and training.



Cause of pain

It happens that a person has a pain in the left hemisphere of the brain. Why is this happening? The most common cause is migraine. In this case, pain is localized in the left side of the head. The duration of this state is also different - from several hours to a couple of days. Among the main causes of this condition, scientists distinguish the following:

  1. Physical fatigue.
  2. Stress.
  3. Heat and dehydration.
  4. Tension of the falciform septum of the brain.
  5. Diseases of the trigeminal nerve, its inflammation.
  6. Insomnia.

However, if a person periodically has pain in the left hemisphere of the brain, it is still worth seeking medical advice. After all, this symptom is not always harmless. Often, headaches in a certain part of the head indicate tumors, thrombosis, or other serious problems that can threaten not only health, but also the life of the patient.

Hemorrhagic stroke

A hemorrhagic stroke is an intracerebral hemorrhage. What happens to the person in this case? What are the consequences of a hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain?

  1. Movement disorders. If the hemorrhage occurred in the left side of the brain, it will suffer, first of all Right side the patient's body. Difficulties in walking and coordination may occur. Unilateral movement disorders in medicine are called hemiparesis.
  2. Speech disorder. As mentioned above, it is the left hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for the perception of symbols and numbers, as well as for reading and writing. When a hemorrhage occurs in this particular part of the brain, a person with difficulty begins not only to speak, but also to perceive the words of others. There are also problems with writing and reading.
  3. Information processing. In the case of a hemorrhage in the left side of the head, a person ceases to think logically, process information. Understanding becomes retarded.
  4. Other symptoms not related to the activity of the left hemisphere. It can be pain, psychological disorders (irritability, depression, mood swings), problems with defecation and urination.

Disability after hemorrhage is high and accounts for approximately 75% of all cases. If the cause of this problem is not determined in time, repeated hemorrhage is possible, which can even lead to the death of the patient.

Shutdown of the left hemisphere

Sometimes people are interested in how to turn off the left hemisphere of the brain, can this be done at all? The answer is simple: you can. Moreover, every person does this every day, going to bed. During sleep, it is the right hemisphere that is activated, and the left one fades. If we talk about the period of wakefulness, then the left hemisphere is always at work and helps people think logically and analyze the information received. It is worth saying that completely turn off the work of the left hemisphere during vigorous activity impossible (without the intervention of special tools and psychiatrists). And yes, you don't need to do that. It is best to establish a balance between the right and left hemisphere, which will make the life of an individual better and better.



Simple exercises

Having figured out why the left hemisphere of the brain hurts and what it is responsible for, you need to give an example of several simple exercises which will help to train the human brain evenly.

  1. You need to sit comfortably and focus on one point. After a minute, you should try to consider those objects that are located to the left of the selected target. Peripheral vision needs to see as many details as possible. Next, you should examine the items located on the right. If you just want to train left side brain, you need to consider objects that are on the right hand of the selected point.
  2. To activate both hemispheres, you need to alternately touch the opposite elbow with your right and left knee. If you perform the exercise slowly, you can also train the vestibular apparatus.
  3. To activate both parts of the brain, you just need to massage your ears. You need to do this from top to bottom. It is necessary to do the manipulations about 5 times. If you want to train only the left hemisphere, you should massage the right ear.

The human brain is the most inaccessible and difficult to study. Even in the era of the introduction of new modern methods research, the brain has never been fully understood. The brain is divided into 2 halves of the hemisphere, each of which is responsible for its own group of functions.

There are many proven facts about the brain, here are some of them:

  • The number of neurons (nerve cells) reaches 85 billion
  • The mass of the brain of an adult is on average about 1.4 kg, that is, about 2 - 3% of total mass human
  • The size of the brain does not affect mental ability in any way, which has been proven in recent studies.

In this article, we will take a detailed look at the structure and function of each of the hemispheres and conduct a test that will establish which of the hemispheres is dominant.

Functions of the left hemisphere in the following directions:

  • Ability to perceive verbal (oral) speech
  • Ability to learn languages. You can meet quite a lot of people who know 3, 4 or more languages, while it was not difficult to learn from them. The reason for memorizing new languages ​​lies in the high development of the left hemisphere
  • The predisposition to good language memorability lies with our memory, which also allows us to remember dates, numbers, events, etc. As a rule, with a good memory and therefore developed hemisphere people become analysts, teachers, etc. Some people with high abilities, so to speak, are able to point to the exact page where a certain text is located
  • Development of speech functionality. Consequently, the stronger the left side predominates, the faster the child begins to speak, while maintaining the correct structure of speech.
  • Performs sequential (logical) processing of information
  • Predisposition to heightened perception of reality. That is, for example, red remains red, blue, blue, while the use of metaphorical phrases is not characteristic of a person
  • The ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships based on logical beliefs, that is, a person is predisposed to the fact that each receipt of information is compared and has a logical connection, this is especially characteristic of the profession of an operative
  • Controls the right side of the body

Left hemisphere characterized by a more explosive nature of a person and the management of the search and acquisition of new information


Right Hemisphere Functions

It has also historically developed, over a long period, that this part of the brain acted as an outcast. Many scientists have argued that this hemisphere is of no use to humans and is a "dead" and unnecessary part of our brain. It got to the point that some surgeons simply removed the hemisphere, referring to its uselessness.

Gradually, the importance of the right side increased by this moment it occupies the same strong positions as the left department. The functions it performs are expressed as follows:

  • The predominance of the development of non-verbal and holistic representation, that is, the information received is expressed not verbally, but by symbols or some images
  • It is characterized by visual-spatial perception. Thanks to this ability, a person has the ability to navigate the terrain
  • Emotionality. Although this function is not directly related to the hemispheres, the development of the right side still has a somewhat significant effect than the left.
  • Perception of metaphors. That is, if a person expressed himself in some kind of metaphor, another person with a developed right side will easily understand what is being said.
  • Creative inclination. It is the individuals with the predominant development of this part that in most cases become musicians, writers, etc.
  • Parallel information processing. The right hemisphere has the ability to process various data sources. The incoming information is not processed on the basis of a logical sequence, but is presented as a whole
  • Controls the motor abilities of the left side of the body


Studies of the function of the cerebral hemispheres of its right side show that it is also responsible for reducing the negative reaction to stressful situations, emotions and tries to avoid something unknown.

Dominant hemisphere test

This test will reveal a stronger development of the right or left side of the brain, after several consecutive exercises. Try the following:

  1. Exercise #1

Bring your palms together in front of you and cross your fingers. Look at your thumbs and write down on a piece of paper which of the fingers is higher.

  1. Exercise #2

Take a piece of paper and drill a small hole in the center, but it should be enough so that when you look through this hole you can see the whole environment. First, look through it with both eyes. Then, in turn, look with each eye, while when we look at one eye, the other should be covered.

You should be careful when viewing through the hole, as when examining a thing, it will shift somewhat. Write down on a piece of paper in which eye you had a shift.

  1. Exercise #3

Cross your arms over your chest and write down on a piece of paper, turned out to be higher.

  1. Exercise number 4

Clap your hands a couple of times and write down on a piece of paper which of the hands turned out to be dominant, that is, which palm covers the other.

Now is the time to check the results. For each exercise, you had to choose the dominant hand R - right hand, L - left hand. Then compare with the results below:

  • PPPP - this indicates that you rather have no desire to change anything, that is, there are certain stereotypes that you follow
  • PPPL - lack of decisiveness in any issue and action
  • PPLP - high communication skills and artistry
  • PPLL - decisive character, but at the same time there is softness towards others
  • PPP - a predisposition to analytics, high caution when making any decisions
  • PLPL - there is exposure to other people's opinions, you are easily manipulated
  • LPPP - very high emotionality


Conclusion

Even though in most cases people have a more developed right hemisphere than the left, in fact, their work is always interconnected. In reality, it cannot be that only one part of the brain functions in a person, and the second does not perform any functions.

Each part is responsible for its specific aspects of activity. Even if you look at what would happen if the right hemisphere, which is responsible for our emotionality, was missing. In this case, a person could be compared to a computer that performs a certain number of logical functions, but does not experience emotionality.

The absence of the left, respectively, would lead to a complete loss of socialization. It is precisely due to the fact that the functions of the hemispheres of the human brain work interrelatedly that our life seems to be complete picture with logical, emotional and other equally important components.

The right hemisphere is responsible for the imagination, with its help a person is able to fantasize, dream, and also compose and learn poetry.

However, nothing prevents you from training both hemispheres of the brain yourself. So, Leonardo da Vinci, who regularly trained, was fluent in both his right hand and his left. He was not only creative person, but also an analyst who had excellently developed logical thinking, and in absolutely different areas activities.

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The human brain is the main division of the central nervous system, it is located in the cranial cavity. The composition of the brain includes great amount neurons that have synaptic connections. These connections allow neurons to form electrical impulses that control the full functioning of the human body.

The human brain is not fully understood. Scientists believe that in a person only a part of neurons are involved in the process of life, and therefore many people do not show their possible abilities.

The left hemisphere of the brain and related functions

The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for verbal information, it is responsible for the language abilities of a person, controls speech, the ability to write and read. Thanks to the work of the left hemisphere, a person is able to remember various facts, events, dates, names, their sequence and how they will look in writing. The left hemisphere is responsible for the analytical thinking of a person, thanks to this hemisphere, logic and analysis of facts are developed, as well as manipulations with numbers and mathematical formulas. In addition, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the sequence of the information processing process (step-by-step processing).

Thanks to the left hemisphere, all information received by a person is processed, classified, analyzed, the left hemisphere establishes cause-and-effect relationships and formulates conclusions.

The right hemisphere of the brain and its functions

The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for processing the so-called non-verbal information, that is, for processing information expressed in images and symbols, and not words.

The right hemisphere is responsible for the imagination, with its help a person is able to fantasize, dream, and compose learn poetry and prose. Here are located the ability of a person to initiative and art (music, drawing, etc.). The right hemisphere is responsible for parallel processing of information, that is, like a computer, it allows a person to simultaneously analyze several different streams of information, make decisions and solve problems, considering the problem simultaneously as a whole and with different sides.

Thanks to the right hemisphere of the brain, we make intuitive connections between images, understand a variety of metaphors, and perceive humor. The right hemisphere allows a person to recognize complex images that cannot be decomposed into elementary components, for example, the process of recognizing people's faces and the emotions that these faces display.

Synchronized work of both hemispheres

The intuitive work of the right hemisphere of the brain is based on facts that have been analyzed by the left hemisphere. It should be noted that the work of both hemispheres of the brain is equally important for a person. With the help of the left hemisphere, the world is simplified and analyzed, and thanks to the right hemisphere, it is perceived as it really is.

If there were no right, "creative" hemisphere of the brain, people would turn into unemotional, calculating machines that could only adapt the world to their life activity.

It should be noted that the right hemisphere controls the work of the left half of the human body, and the left hemisphere - the right half of the body. That is why it is believed that a person who has a better developed left half of the body ("left-handed") is better developed and Creative skills. By training the corresponding part of the body, we train the hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for these actions.

In a predominant number of people, one of the hemispheres dominates: the right or the left. When a child is born, he evenly uses the opportunities that he initially has in different hemispheres. However, in the process of development, growth and learning, one of the hemispheres begins to develop more actively. So, in schools in which there is a mathematical bias, little time is devoted to creativity, and in art and music schools children almost do not develop logical thinking.

However, nothing prevents you from training both hemispheres of the brain yourself. So, Leonardo da Vinci, who regularly trained, was fluent in both his right hand and his left. He was not only a creative person, but also an analyst who had excellent logical thinking, and in completely different fields of activity.

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There are many unexpected and incomprehensible things in the structure of our nervous system. So, for some reason, each hemisphere of the brain controls the work of the opposite side of the body: the right one controls the muscles of the left side of the body, and the left one controls the right side.

Hemispheric information is obtained in a similar way: nerve fibers coming from the sense organs - the vestibular apparatus and skin and muscle receptors - go to the opposite side of the brain. However, like any good rule, were not without exceptions. For example, each optic and each auditory nerve directs half of its nerve fibers to the right and half to the left hemisphere, as has become known only recently.

The study of the human body has been taboo for centuries. In the Middle Ages doctors were not allowed perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

In the XIV century in Italy, Spain and Germany, the dissection of the corpse was carried out only once every 5 years in the presence of a representative of the church. It is clear that a deep and comprehensive study of the body, and even more so the brain, was out of the question. This continued until the end of the 15th century.

The brain was especially striking for Renaissance doctors who performed autopsies on the bodies of the dead. The repository of feelings, emotions, habits and mind looked exactly the same in all people. For a long time study human brain was not possible. Its external structure did not say anything about its functions. It was possible to indirectly judge the work of the brain only by observing people who had received head injuries. It was only known that with injuries to one of the hemispheres, paralysis of the opposite side of the body occurs. Actually, this was the limit of knowledge about the work of the brain.

The first guesses about the inequality of the hemispheres were expressed by the French physician Marc Dax in 1836. At a meeting of the medical society, he reported that all of his 40 patients with speech disorders showed signs of damage to the left hemisphere. However, his work went unnoticed. In 1866, Dax's compatriot surgeon Paul Broca also noticed that damage to a certain area of ​​the left hemisphere leads to speech disorders. He supported his conclusions with the results of post-mortem autopsy of patients.

Research has begun. The vast majority of people are right-handed, so they studied mainly right-handed people. It turned out that the left hemisphere is responsible for the understanding and pronunciation of words and the ability to read and write. What the right hemisphere does, no one knew for more than 100 years. It was not possible to detect any disorders in speech and thinking in lesions of this half of the brain. The right hemisphere was considered dumb and was given the role secondary and in some sense inferior. Some scientists even gave him the nickname "parasite".

As is often the case, chance rescued.

Both hemispheres are interconnected by a narrow bundle of nerve fibers - the corpus callosum. Thanks to him, information is exchanged between the right and left halves of the brain. The corpus callosum can cause rapid activity of neurons throughout the brain during a seizure in patients with epilepsy. In some cases, when epilepsy is not treatable in another way, neurosurgeons resort to surgical intervention: dissect corpus callosum to prevent the spread of uncontrolled excitation to both hemispheres of the brain. Thus, the hemispheres are separated and isolated from each other. The intelligence and behavior of patients after the operation do not suffer. But ingenious devices show that the "splitting" of the brain still affects the consciousness and thinking of such people. As a result of the study of the divided brain, it was possible to learn a lot of interesting things about its work.

Using special devices, people with split brains can be shown images in such a way that information will flow only to the right or only to the left half of the brain. As a result of the experiments, it was possible to find out that the right hemisphere recognizes objects, but cannot name them - the person says that he did not see anything. For this reason the right hemisphere is called dumb. The left hemisphere easily recognizes and names what it sees, but the left hemisphere cannot recognize the object in the left hand when information enters only the right part of the brain, while the "dumb" half of the brain is able to select the object shown to it by touch.

IN early childhood The human brain is very plastic. If for some reason the left half of the brain suffers in childhood, the right hemisphere is able to partially or completely take over speech functions. Something similar happened to one of the patients, a 16-year-old boy who had epileptic seizures in early childhood that led to damage to the left hemisphere. His right hemisphere understood speech addressed to him and could express thoughts written down with his left hand. After transection of the first corpus callosum, scientists suddenly had an amazing opportunity to communicate with each hemisphere of the patient separately. It is amazing, but in one person two separate mental systems seemed to coexist with their own feelings, thoughts and desires.

So, the left half of the brain dreamed of choosing the profession of a draftsman, and the right (at the same time) - a car racer. The right half of the brain had its own favorite movie star and favorite culinary dishes... If both hemispheres were presented with different images at the same time, and it was required to choose objects suitable for them (for example, for images of a winter scene and a chicken paw, it was necessary to match pictures with ice skates and chicken), the left necessarily tried to explain the choice of the right, although this was not required by the assignment. “Each hemisphere has its own 'personal' sensations, perceptions, intentions and thoughts, cut off from the corresponding experience of the other hemisphere. Each the left and right hemispheres have their own memory and experiences that are not available to the other hemisphere. In many ways, each of the severed hemispheres appears to have a separate "self-awareness," as Roger Sperry, a physiologist who has studied the effects of brain splitting, described his experiences with this patient.

So isn't this where our internal contradictions lie when we try to justify our actions and enter into an internal dialogue with ourselves? Perhaps the “second self” is not just a metaphor, but the reality of our brain?

The first studies of the divided brain led scientists to the idea that only the left hemisphere is associated with speech and logical thinking, that is, it works with words, signs and symbols, while the right hemisphere is responsible for the spatial and sensory perception of the world, for example, feels the emotional coloring of speech. However, in the course of further observations, scientists came to the conclusion that main differences between the hemispheres- not in the type of information they work with, but in the way they process the same information.

The left hemisphere is responsible for increased talkativeness. It builds long complex phrases, but its speech is monotonous and devoid of intonation. The right hemisphere restrains the talkativeness of the left and gives the voice emotional expressiveness, controls the rhythm and pace of speech.

Names of objects and meanings of words stored in the right side of the brain, and sound images of names, literal expression of words, symbols and formulas - on the left. When the left hemisphere is turned off, a person recognizes people's faces and objects, but does not remember names and cannot describe objects in words.

The right hemisphere evaluates unpleasant life events, reacts faster to pictures with an expression of sadness. Pleasant and funny scenes and images of joyful content are attractive to the left. sense of humor is merit of the left hemisphere. With damage to the left half of the brain (in our time, the most common causes brain lesions are stroke and injuries in car accidents) disappears good mood, negative emotions and signs of aggressiveness appear. If the right hemisphere is affected, the person falls into a state of euphoria.

The left hemisphere reacts only to human speech, all the rest of the richness of sounds - the sound of rain, birdsong, laughter and music - does not exist for it. These sounds belong to the right hemisphere, as well as the diversity of the world of colors.

The right hemisphere has difficulty classifying. How can you group something if each item is unique to it? The left, on the contrary, easily solves such problems. The right is easier to find similarities, and the left is better at understanding differences.

We decided to cheat, lie or embellish the event - the left hemisphere turned on. For him, truth is a relative concept. The right one, whatever one may say, will tell only the truth - it cares about the exact display of reality. Isn't that why in Russian the words "right" and "pravda" are of the same root? Maybe in ancient times people were smarter than we think?

Responsible for the goal left hemisphere, and the decision how to achieve this goal lies entirely with the right hemisphere. For example, the goal to “cross the road” is received by the left side of the brain, and the right side evaluates the situation and chooses the right moment for action.

Even the time for each hemisphere has its own characteristics. For the right time is running in time with ongoing events, only the present exists for him, and if this hemisphere is affected, a person finds it difficult to answer how long this or that event lasts, and also cannot determine the time of year or day. The left hemisphere controls the chronological sequence of events.

If you are a person with a dominant left hemisphere, then traveling to a country with an extreme climate (too hot or too cold) is likely to cause you psycho-emotional stress, since the body's reaction to changing climatic factors is mainly controlled by the right hemisphere. It will be a little more difficult for you to acclimatize than for a right-brained traveler.

Right hemisphere recognizes familiar faces (including its owner in the mirror and in the photograph), is responsible for orientation in space and the concepts of “higher-lower” and “closer-further”. He is in charge of everything that is located on the left side of us. A person with damage to the right half of the brain completely ignores the space, objects and people located to the left of him - he simply does not notice all this. If you ask him to draw a person, he will depict only the right half of the body, without the left arm and leg. At breakfast, he will not touch the food on the left half of the plate, but after a prompt, he will pay attention to it. A person seems to forget about the existence of the left half of his body - he puts a slipper on right leg, not remembering the left, and can only shave the right half of the face. He involuntarily performs all actions with his right hand, as if the left does not exist. Interestingly, the clinical pathology of the left hemisphere does not lead to a similar "half" perception of the world. Why such a left-sided ignoring of space occurs with damage to the right hemisphere remains a mystery, as well as the very cause of the interhemispheric asymmetry of the brain.

A healthy brain functions as one, and in Everyday life we do not think about which part of the brain turns on with one or another of our actions. Information received by one hemisphere is available to the other due to the neural bridge connecting them. Working together in close cooperation, both hemispheres choose the best overall strategy, but one of them prevails over the other and plays the role of leader. As a result, some of us tend to logical thinking and show a craving for mathematics and the exact sciences, while others are creative natures - artists, musicians and poets.

THIS IS INTERESTING

In right-handed people, the left hand is better at detecting body temperature, and the right hand is more accurate at feeling weight.

There is an opinion that negative emotions in more expressed by the left half of the face, and positive - by the right. Psychologists note that most women prefer to stay to the left of a man, as well as a teacher and superiors, and the gender of the latter does not matter.

The brain of men reaches its maximum weight by 20-29 years, and women - at 15-19 years.

A fully formed corpus callosum is made up of 200 million nerve fibers and transmits 4 trillion signals/s.

Health Mental health Av. Melikov Sergey Levonovich February 3, 2012
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FUNCTIONAL ASYMMETRY OF THE HEMISPHERES

BRAIN.

The brain consists of three major parts: big brain, cerebellum and brain stem. In terms of size and functional significance, the large brain plays a leading role. Therefore, in a simplified version, it can be called the brain. The brain consists of the left and right hemispheres. Morphologically or in form, they are very similar to each other. However, they cannot be called paired organs, since in functional terms they are not unambiguous. is responsible for the intellectual activity of a person, and the right one for his emotional characteristics. Given the fact that it is in the sphere of their functional activity that a person’s personal characteristics, his behavior, habits, emotions, intellectual abilities and, ultimately, his fate are located, the study of the brain is an urgent need. In addition, this is an extremely interesting activity that brings us more and more surprises. So we found that in the majority of our people, the right hemisphere is more active than the left. Since the right hemisphere is responsible for the formation of a person’s negative emotional status, we can assume that we are more emotional than rational and, moreover, negatively emotional. Simply put, we are very angry, aggressive and vindictive. And this, first of all, hits us ourselves, it is very harmful to our family and public relations, undermines our health and shortens our lives by 10 to 15 years. How to fix this situation?

Functions of the cerebral hemispheres

Functional ambiguity of the cerebral hemispheres was identified on the basis of data on speech disorders. This discovery has its roots in the second half of XIX century. Based on the results of post-mortem autopsy of patients who lost the power of speech, the French clinician P. Broka established a connection between this disease and lesions of nerve cells in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere of the brain. Somewhat later, S. Wemecxe described the loss of the ability to communicate verbally, the so-called sensory aphasia, in a patient with damage to the temporal gyrus of the same hemisphere. Further, it was found that the left hemisphere of the brain dominates not only in speech, but also in the processes of reading, writing, counting, and the ability to think logically. The concept of the dominance of the left hemisphere of the brain was formulated. The right hemisphere was presented as subordinate and without specific properties.

However, facts were accumulating in the clinic, clarifying the importance of the right hemisphere in the formation of a person's emotional status. In 1881, B. Luys, examining patients with focal brain lesions and complete loss of voluntary movements of one half of the body (hemiplegia), showed that the right hemisphere of the brain plays a dominant role in the sphere of emotions. Somewhat later, the dominance of the right hemisphere in the expression of emotions was determined by H. Sackkeim. It turned out that the right hemisphere is responsible for emotions and, to a greater extent, for negative emotions. With the predominance of the function of the right hemisphere, a person is prone to negative perception environment He sees, first of all, the negative aspects of events, remembers them better and remembers them longer. Thus, with the dominant activity of the right hemisphere over the left, a negative emotional profile of the personality is formed, the severity of which depends on the degree of this activity. Further research in this area showed a deeper connection in terms of functional relations of the left and right hemispheres, their mutually complementary specialization. As it turned out, the functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres is ambiguous, complexly mosaic, has age features. However, quite reasonably and with a fairly high degree of certainty, it can be argued that the left hemisphere, to a greater extent, is verbally logical, responsible for the intellectual level of the individual, while the right hemisphere, to a greater extent, is spatial = sensual. A high level of activity of one or another hemisphere determines The functional ambiguity of the cerebral hemispheres was formed during the evolution of the central nervous system (CNS).

Evolution of the CNS.

In the development of the nervous system of animals, it is customary to distinguish three successive stages or three types of the nervous system: diffuse, nodular, and tubular. The first multicellular organisms, such as the freshwater Hydra polyp, had a diffuse nervous system.

Nerve cells are located over the entire surface of the outer layer of the hydra. They have a star-shaped form, because they are equipped with long processes. The processes of closely located nerves are in contact with each other, and some of them are in contact with skin-muscle cells. The working state of the nerve cell is excitation. If you touch the hydra with a thin needle, then the excitation from irritation of one of the nerve cells is transmitted through the processes to other nerve cells, and from them to the skin-muscle cells. There is a contraction of muscle fibers, and the hydra shrinks into a small lump.

Further development nervous system leads to the fact that scattered throughout the body of our previously described hydra, nerve cells are gradually grouped into nerve chains and nerve ganglions - clusters of nerve cells. The first representative in whom we observe the nodal nervous system are flatworms and their typical representative is the white planaria. This worm 1-2 cm long, living in ponds and streams, has a white body with a translucent intestine full of dark food. One of the features of the planarian nervous system is bilateral symmetry. Her right side looks like her left. All planarian organs are arranged in pairs on both sides of an imaginary plane running along the body of the animal. Bilateral symmetry is characteristic of most multicellular animals, including humans. Planaria has two nerve trunks on the sides. In the anterior part, both nerve trunks end in large ganglions connected to each other. In annelids, they form into large suboesophageal and supraoesophageal nodes. These two large nodes and nerve trunks are the precursors of the modern CNS of vertebrates and humans.

The larger subpharyngeal node provides tactile, and the supraglottic node provides digestive functions. Further, in the process of evolution, the supraglottic node moves to the left, and the subpharyngeal node to the right and up. Thus, the right and left hemispheres of the brain are formed. The rotational movements of the supraglottic and subpharyngeal nodes connected to the nerve trunks lead to the crossing of the nerve pathways. Two nerve trunks plunge deep into the muscle tissue and, connecting with each other, form the primary spinal cord. The functional and morphological ambiguity of the supraesophageal and subesophageal nodes was the cause of the functional ambiguity of the left and right hemispheres of the human brain.

functional typology

Functional asymmetry hemispheres of the brain makes it possible to classify people according to the degree of relative activity of the left or right hemispheres of the brain. Psychologists have always tried to divide people into psychophysiological types.

The first attempt at such a classification of people goes back to the distant past. In the 5th century BC. Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician and reformer of ancient medicine, created the doctrine that human body consists of 4 elements: air, water, fire, and earth. It was assumed that the compounds of these elements create 4 substances: blood, mucus, black bile, yellow bile, which determine the 4 types of a person. Somewhat later, 130-200 BC, a follower of Hippocrates, the Greek physician Claudius Gallen proposed to distinguish 4 main psychological type based on emotional state person. This is a sanguine person - prone to joy, a phlegmatic person - to calmness, a melancholic person - to melancholy and a choleric person - an angry type. This classification has withstood two millennia. A physiological connection of some diseases with the Melancholic was revealed. So the melancholic is prone to certain diseases of the cardiovascular system, vegetative-vascular dystonia, depression, schizoid psychopathy. Choleric, for example, is prone to dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, spasms, convulsions, mania, hysteroid or epileptoid psychopathy. Psychological knowledge has great importance in medicine to clarify the diagnosis and treatment, as well as in the correction social relations.

In the twentieth century, the study of psychotypes received a new direction associated with psychoanalysis developed by Z. Freud. The most significant in this regard is the typology of C. Jung, one of the outstanding students of Z. Freud. He puts 4 classes of people at the basis of his system: thinking, feeling, sensing and intuitive. Each of these people of one class or another can manifest themselves as both extraverted and introverted, forming a total of 8 psychotypes. According to K. Jung's classification, an introvert tends to leave all experiences within himself, he is easily vulnerable and defenseless, subject to any idea, and it is difficult for him to reconsider his views. In this regard, extroverts are much easier. They are sociable, easily oriented in any environment, society, able to predict and rebuild their relationships. They get everything surprisingly easily, and they do not notice their troubles and simply pass them through their fingers.

IP Pavlov based the classification developed by him on the main processes in the activity of the central nervous system. He identified 4 types of higher nervous activity strength, balance, excitation and inhibition nervous processes.

All of the above classifications did not take into account the fact of functional ambiguity of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. As it turned out, the dominance of one or another hemisphere has a serious influence on the mental activity and behavior of a person. It was proposed to distinguish two psychotypes: left hemisphere and right hemisphere, where the characteristic of the main properties of each type is the functional orientation dominant hemisphere brain. The problem lies in the scientifically substantiated determination of the dominance of one or another hemisphere. A.P. Anuashvili proposes to identify the dominance of the right or left hemisphere of the brain by determining the difference in the amplitudes of oscillatory processes in one or another hemisphere and the degree of consistency of these oscillatory processes with each other. To determine these parameters, direct measurements are required using sensors that measure electromagnetic radiation brain. In addition to the fact that this technique requires the use of expensive specialized equipment that is not available for wide use, the electromagnetic characteristics of brain radiation are characterized by a high level of instability. They are easily changed and depend on many additional factors. Obviously, this significantly affects the objectivity of the research results and requires the accumulation a large number statistical material.

Synthesized photographs.

We have proposed a method for indirect determination of the predominant hemisphere of the brain by comparing the surface area of ​​the left and right halves of the face. The surface of the face is formed by its mimic muscles, and the more it is developed, the greater the surface area of ​​the face. The development of facial muscles directly depends on the functional activity of the cortical complexes of neurons in the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Since the mimic muscles of the left and right faces are innervated contralaterally, that is, by opposite hemispheres, the surface area of ​​the right face depends on the activity of the left hemisphere, and the surface area of ​​the left face, respectively, depends on the activity of the right hemisphere. With stable dominance or higher activity, for example, of the right hemisphere, the mimic muscles of the left half of the face will be developed much stronger than the mimic muscles of the right half of the face, and therefore the surface area of ​​the left half of the face will be more area surface of the right side of the face. Note that the dominance of one hemisphere or a higher degree of excitation of its neurons, as a rule, causes a relative inhibition of nervous processes in the opposite hemisphere. This further enhances the above effect.

To identify the dominant hemisphere, the surface areas of the synthesized photographs of the left and right faces were compared. The synthesized photograph is a photographic image composed of one half of the face and its specular reflection. The face in the photograph is divided along the axial anatomical line into two halves, and two synthesized photographs are made from each half. The left half of the face and its mirror image are taken and the left face is combined. The combined photograph of the right face is taken in the same way. This was done using a computer program. Next, the surface areas of the left and right faces of the synthesized photographs were measured. The same scale of photographs and their frontal images allow comparative mathematical processing. The area of ​​the desired half of the face was limited on the one hand by the central axial anatomical line, and on the other hand by the external contours of the face.

To determine the dominant hemisphere and the degree of its dominance, the concept of the face asymmetry coefficient was introduced, which was determined by the ratio of the surface areas of the left and right faces. If the ratio of the area of ​​the left face to the area of ​​the right is greater than one, that is, the area of ​​the left face is greater than the right, then this means that the right hemisphere is more active than the left. If this ratio is less than one, then the left hemisphere is more active. If given coefficient equal to one, then the face is absolutely symmetrical and both hemispheres have the same activity. Thus, we can easily identify which hemisphere of the subject is active and determine its individual coefficient of asymmetry. Researches were conducted among students of NSMA.

The results were somewhat unexpected. We saw that, quantitatively, the number of right hemisphere and left hemisphere types should be approximately the same. However, in percentage terms, the number of right hemisphere people was 87.7%, the number of left hemisphere 12.3%. The number of symmetrically functioning hemispheres is equal to zero. One hemisphere is always slightly more active than the opposite one. The average coefficient of asymmetry in the group with an active left hemisphere was 0.944, and in the group with an active right hemisphere 1.087. Additional studies were conducted among different age and social groups. The results were identical. We are all very emotional and, as a rule, first we do, and then we think, we do things, and then we repent.

Functional typology.

The left hemisphere processes information by sequentially encoding and comparing its details, that is, it goes from analysis to synthesis, where conclusions are drawn after careful processing of data. Only after that, the left hemisphere determines the goals and outlines the paths for their implementation. This approach guarantees high level success and effectiveness. Analyzing the situation happening here and now, the left hemisphere stakes on the future. Such a person, in the course of his present activity, predicts the expected future and sees himself actively in this situation. actor. He shows exceptional ingenuity and cold prudence in difficult situations. This allows you to exclude the adoption of erroneous decisions and avoid undesirable consequences. Among these people we see scientists, engineers, leaders. Taking into account all the circumstances and features of the functioning of the left hemisphere, the ways of his perception of the surrounding reality and the expression of his mental essence, a person whose left hemisphere dominates is defined as an intellectual logical type.

The right hemisphere plays a leading role in the emotional sphere of human mental activity. Given the fact that the left hemisphere, in addition to everything, takes on the whole range of positive emotions, then naturally, we turn out to be not only emotional, but negatively emotional. The right hemisphere provides a holistic and figurative perception of the world, but this perception always has a negative connotation. The bad is always remembered better than the good, it tends to accumulate. Working in the present, the right hemisphere relies solely on the past, looks for adverse circumstances there and relies on them when making decisions. This leads to undesirable and unforeseen consequences. And that's putting it mildly. The right hemisphere operates in analog mode with a very narrow range of analysis. It compares objects in terms of good or bad, evil or good, right or wrong, and is completely incapable of compromise. People who are dominated by the right hemisphere are of the sensual type, they are overly emotional and, being in the power of emotions, are not able to think. However, emotionally they are very expressive, the world they perceive on a sensual level, are capable of compassion, charity, are ready for self-sacrifice in the struggle for justice. Leaders emerge from this environment. It is from here that painters, sculptors, poets, singers, artists, and ultimately romantics, come to us, decorating our society, giving it attractiveness and direction. This is good. But there is one thing that weighs on us. This is an annoyance.

The right hemispheric type initially carries irritation and the basis for this is the constant activity of the right hemisphere, its negative emotional orientation. It is a smoldering volcano that lives in our souls. Any unforeseen obstacle causes unbridled anger in us. This happens as a result of generalization of excitation, when negative emotions capture the entire brain. Here, any external impulse only enhances the excitement. If such a person is not stopped, he can commit any crime, up to murder.

Underlying irritation keeps us in a state of, albeit mild, but constant depression. Any, even a minor adverse situation can plunge us into a real depression. Uncertainty, anxious and painful state, suppressed, unbearable mental pain, a feeling of worthlessness. This scary list can be continued ad infinitum. It only needs to be said that the consequences of such a state do not bode well. They are the cause of a number of serious diseases. These are, first of all, stomach ulcers, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus and cardio = vascular diseases. In severe forms of depression, nervous disorders and a suicidal syndrome occur, which often ends in tragedy. In all these indicators, we are almost leaders. This is our national feature. In general, all this reduces life expectancy to 10 - 15 years, depending on the degree of asymmetry of the hemispheres. How to fix this situation?

Psychological correction.

Research various types people put before psychologists the problem of eliminating negative characteristics personality, changing it in a positive direction. The task is to create a harmonious, highly spiritual, creative personality helping her discover her positive traits to promote physical health. Now that the causes of our many misfortunes are understood, let us consider methods of dealing with bad luck which does not allow us to live peacefully and happily.

Manifestations of the functional state of the cerebral hemisphere on the face of a person make it possible to obtain, with visual processing of synthesized photographs of the left and right faces, a correction of the psychological state of a person. Looking at the synthesized photographs, composed of the left and right halves of the face, the subject sees two various people. What happens that the brain seeks to eliminate, eliminating the asymmetry between the left and right halves of the face. The synthesized photographs show the naked reality to the brain, the result of its unsuccessful activity and encourage it to correct the situation. The brain has a tremendous capacity for self-healing and self-improvement. When, finally, the goals are determined, consciousness proceeds to self-correction.

Visualization or viewing of synthesized photographs should be done before going to bed, in a calm environment. You should view the photos one by one, for several minutes each. Further, the work to correct functional distortions in the brain is going on at a subconscious level. The course of this psychotherapy is 7-10 days and is repeated after 1 month. Enough 2 - 3 courses. As a result of such psychotherapy, human behavior changes, the geometric proportions and emotional expression of the face change in positive side. Immunity and self-esteem increase, diseases go away, pressure normalizes.

The next method is to activate the left hemisphere. Its activity, as we said above, will automatically slow down the activity of the right hemisphere and reduce the emotional background of a person's mental state. To do this, you need to give the left hemisphere work. Download it with a simple solution logical task. For example, let you always have several coins of different denominations in your pocket. You set the value of each coin by touch and determine the total amount of your monetary condition. The task may have several variations, but the result will be the same. You will find peace, and with peace of mind, confidence in yourself and your abilities.

Melikov P S (1980), Myasnikov I G (1964=2008)

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