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Chapter 7: Problem 3

A surgeon places an electrode on a portion of your brain and stimulates it. Immediately, your right wrist involuntarily twitches. The doctor has most likely stimulated a portion of the __________ area of your brain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The surgeon most likely stimulated the primary motor cortex area of your brain.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Scenario and Brain Function

Analyze the scenario. A doctor has stimulated a part of the brain, resulting in an involuntary twitch of the right wrist. Knowing that different parts of the brain control different body functions and movement, one can deduce that the doctor stimulated the part of the brain that controls the movement of the right wrist.
02

Identifying the brain area

Consider the functional areas of the brain. The brain region that controls voluntary movements, including the wrist's movement, is the motor area. It is divided into two main sections: the primary motor cortex and the premotor area. The primary motor cortex sends signals to the body's muscles to produce movements. Hence this is the region that was probably stimulated. The primary motor cortex of the left hemisphere controls the movements of the body's right side and vice versa.
03

Final Conclusion

Thus, the involuntary twitch caused by the stimulation suggests that the primary motor cortex was the most likely brain area stimulated by the surgeon. More specifically, it would have been the primary motor cortex in the left hemisphere, which controls the movements of the right side of the body, including the right wrist.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Match the name of each brain scan with the appropriate description: a. EEG b. \(\mathrm{fMRI}\) c. PEI 1\. By locating radiation within the brain, a computer can provide a striking picture of brain activity. 2\. Electrodes placed around the skull record the electrical signals transmitted through the brain. 3\. Provides a three-dimensional view of the brain by aiming a magnetic field at the body

Each hemisphere controls the side ______ of the body.

Nonverbal realms, such as emotions and music, are controlled primarily by the ________ hemisphere of the brain, whereas the _________ more responsible for speaking and reading.
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