A split-brain patient is shown a picture of an object so that it stimulates only the right cerebral hemisphere. Which of the following can this patient do?
A) select the object with the right hand
B) neither name nor select the object
C) name the object
D) select the object with the left hand

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In split-brain patients, the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain, is severed. This means that information processed in one hemisphere is not easily shared with the other. When an object is presented to the right hemisphere (which controls the left side of the body), the patient can select the object with the left hand because motor control for the left hand is processed in the right hemisphere. However, because language functions are predominantly located in the left hemisphere, the patient would not be able to name the object, as the visual information cannot be easily transferred to the language-processing areas of the brain.

A Split-Brain Patient Is Shown a Picture of an Object