The human brain is still a mystery to all of humanity. A unique organ in its structure and its role in human life is responsible for all the main possibilities: breathe, move, think, hear, see and, finally, speak. Despite the huge number of questions, scientists managed to solve some secrets, including determining which part of the brain is responsible for speech.
Brain structure
Everyone knows that if the brain ceases to function, then the person does not react to any external factors, does not show any activity, turns into a "vegetable". In its structure, the brain is symmetrical and consists of the right and left hemispheres.
Disputes of scientists do not subside, however, some facts are proved and approved.
Important facts:
- The human brain is made up of 25 billion neurons.
- The brain of an adult is about 2% of body weight.
- The organ consists of three shells: hard, soft, spider web. Shells perform the main - protective function.
It is generally accepted that the left hemisphere is responsible for all thought processes, and the right one for the perception of the outside world. Roughly speaking, the left is logical, and the right is the creative hemisphere.
From the point of view of anatomy, the brain consists of the following parts:
- Medulla. Responsible for autonomic functions.
- Midbrain. Controls reflexes to external stimuli.
- Hind brain. Responsible for coordination of movements.
- Diencephalon. It includes sensory centers (hunger, thirst, satiety, sleep regulation).
- Forebrain. The largest part, which is covered with furrows (convolutions). Provides better brain function.
Brain function
It is almost impossible to list all the functions. Zones of the brain are responsible for all human activities in everyday life.
Main functions:
- Intelligent function, or human thinking.
- Processing external signals that coordinate taste, vision, hearing, smell.
- Management of the psychological state, emotions.
- Regulation of the main movements, reflex function.
In ordinary life, a person does not think about why he is acting one way or another. Responsibility for all actions lies with the brain.
Departments
If you delve into the topic to determine which part of the brain is responsible for speech, you need to know what basic departments this human body consists of. They are usually called lobes. The structure and functions of the cerebral hemispheres play a crucial role in the life of each of us.
The following fractions are distinguished in the human brain:
- Frontal.
- Temporal.
- Parietal.
- Occipital.
Apart from the structure and functions of the cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum, which is responsible for the coordination of the body in space, and the pituitary gland, which regulates the production of hormones, are secreted.
Not in all cases, scientists agree on which part is responsible for what. This indicates primarily a large lack of knowledge about the areas of the brain and the imperfection of modern medicine.
Frontal lobe
Returning to the question of which part of the brain is responsible for speech, it is necessary to dwell on the study of the frontal lobe. First of all, there is a statement that the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the ability to speak. Here are the speech centers.
The frontal part of the cerebral hemispheres is of great importance in everyday life. She is responsible for:
- The nature of thinking.
- Urination process.
- Maintaining the body upright.
- Motivation and behavior control.
- Speech and handwriting.
The frontal lobe takes responsibility for the semantic construction of human speech.
Temporal lobe
The role of this part of the brain is not so extensive, but much more narrowly focused. The temporal lobes are located both in the left and in the right hemispheres of the brain, which leaves an imprint on their main functions.
The left temporal lobe is responsible for:
- Perception of sound information.
- Short-term memory.
- Selection of words during a conversation (role in the formation of speech).
- Synthesis of visual and auditory information.
- The interaction of music and emotions.
The right temporal lobe is responsible for:
- Facial recognition.
- Perception of rhythm and musical tone.
- Perception of intonation of speech.
- Fixing visual facts.
This part of the brain allows a person to understand by the intonation of the interlocutor’s speech about his emotions and attitude to the issue under discussion.
Speech centers of the brain
Various human speech disorders have motivated scientists to study how brain function affects this fact. It has been determined that there are several speech centers that are located predominantly in the left hemisphere. In joint interaction, they maintain human speech at the proper level. If at least some part is injured, then this will certainly affect the quality and ability to speak.
There are two main speech zones of the brain:
- Motor zone.
- Sensory area.
- Associative Center.
Each of them is responsible for clearly defined functions.
Functions
The motor zone is located in front of the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere, next to the motor center, which is responsible for muscle activity. The main function of the motor zone (Broca center):
- Responsible for the motor ability of the tongue. In case of any violations in this department, a person continues to understand speech, but is not able to answer.
The sensory area is located in the back of the temporal lobe of the brain. The main task of this center (Wernicke center) is:
- Perception and storage of oral speech, both own and others. If violations occur in this area, then the person ceases to perceive the speech of others, although he himself retains the ability to speak, albeit with defects.
If for some reason you have to remove the sensory speech zone, then the person completely loses the ability to perceive and produce speech.
Associative Speech Center
This part of the brain does not develop in a person from birth, but only by 2 years of life, when the child begins to try to utter conscious phrases. This zone is located in the parietal part of the cerebral cortex and also plays one of the most important roles in the formation of human speech.
Violations
Knowing which part of the brain is responsible for speech, it is important to understand that the brain is vulnerable. Any violations and damages will not pass without leaving a trace for a person. The innate ability to speak in a person must be brought up and developed from early childhood.
Reasons that provoke violations:
- Severe pregnancy.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Slow development of the psyche.
- Damage to the auditory organ.
- Severe diseases and other pathologies.
Lack of attention on the part of parents also certainly affects the speech abilities of the child. In the future, in order to establish the causes of violations, it is necessary to consult both a speech therapist and a psychologist. It is customary to use the classification of O. Badalyan to describe and determine violations in children.
In adulthood, stroke is recognized as the most common factor that disrupts the speech of a normal person. Often, after a blow, a person is not able to correctly and fully formulate a phrase, thoughts get confused or the language is not obeyed. This indicates dysarthria. Such a lesion is most often easily treatable.
If a state of aphasia occurs, then this entails a systemic lesion of the entire brain. Against the background of such a pathology, the psychological state of the patient also suffers.
Regardless of the reasons that led to a violation of speech abilities, a person must immediately consult a doctor. Only a specialist is able to correctly identify the main pathology and prescribe treatment.