Word: frontals
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People know a good story when they hear one. We are a narrative species: our brains function as storytelling organs in our frontal lobes, which, say neuroscientists, distinguish us from other animals. Evolution is a story, a beauty. We're stories as individuals; our DNA writes the plot, sometimes the theme. It is thought that children acquire language to tell the story that is already in them. Only a few weeks ago, the pure-science linguist Noam Chomsky, in another change of mind, said he now thinks a divine power gave us language in a single, inspired stroke...
...asked what the brain was doing differently during experiences which were remembered," Wagner says. "The scan showed greater activation in the left frontal and left temporal region when people paid attention to the semantic meaning of words...
...left frontal region is the area of the brain behind the temple. The left temporal lobe is the area behind that. Previous neuroimaging studies have identified the parahippocamal cortex, the inner wall of the left temporal region, as particularly important in memory formation. Due to advances in MRI techniques, the activated regions can now be localized with greater precision than previously possible...
Does this mean that the left frontal and left temporal regions of the brain are responsible for memory formation? A similar study done by James Brewer of Stanford University showed that different areas of the brain are responsible for remembering (and possibly retrieving, although that was not studied) different types of events. In Brewer's experiment, subjects were shown pictures, not words, and greater activity was concentrated in the right frontal and right temporal regions of the brain...
...studies are quite complimentary," Wagner says. "What we've jointly demonstrated is that both the frontal and medial temporal regions determine memory. But the specific structures employed depend upon the content and the approach to learning...