Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: thedoc on 21/07/2016 13:53:02

Title: Is the idea that different functions happen on different sides of the brain an oversimplification?
Post by: thedoc on 21/07/2016 13:53:02

Roger Firman asked the Naked Scientists:
   Hello,

I thought the program (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/) this morning was extremely interesting. Arising from
this, I was wondering how robots are programmed to cut lawns and perform
vacuuming tasks around the house?

Now to my question, or perhaps I should say, another one.

I don't know if you have dealt with the question of ascribing functions to
parts of the brain i.e. left hand side and right hand side? On a programme
on 5 live not too long ago, a contributor said it was a myth. Is it that
ascribing tasks in this way is a drastic over-simplification of how the
brain works?

Any thoughts, or if not dealt with, could you consider this for a future
programme?

Yours sincerely,

Roger Firman.

What do you think?