Article Review-One Brain, The Other Half

8/11/2019 Article Review-One Brain, The Other Half

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One Brain or Two-Article Review

The article primarily consisted of experimentation by M. Gazzaniga. The purpose in

experimenting was to determine if the different components of the brain (the left and right

hemispheres) had their own functions and worked independently or if they worked together.

Gazzanigas experiment involved 10 persons who had previously had their brain split. These

individuals were given specific tasks to perform, with each task requiring certain auditory,

visual, or motor skills. The brain activity of the individual was then measured to see the effects

of a split brain on these tasks. The control group in the experiment was a group of individuals

who did not have their brains split and were given the same tasks to perform. The independent

variable was whether or not the brain had been split, and the dependent variable was a measure

of brain activity. The experiment showed that the left hemisphere functions in language and

calculations, while the right hemisphere deals with spatial management and facial perception as

well as artistic ability.

I was not too surprised by the results of the experiment. As I had previously learned, the

two hemispheres in the brain were shown to have different functions. Prior to this knowledge,

however, I thought that the brain could not operate without every component. Yet, individuals

who have had their brain split can still function in everyday society. Overall, I believe that the

experiment had no structural flaws. The tests covered a wide range of functions and were able to

be successfully attributed to the right or left hemisphere. The experiment also had a control

group to compare the results to. A greater sample size would have been better, but in this

scenario, it would have been impossible to simply create individuals with split brains. I agree

with the conclusion and believe that the two hemispheres in the brain have different functions. A

few questions came to mind when I was reading this article. Can individuals with split brain


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perform more complex tasks in life without assistance? Can the brain be trained such that one

hemisphere becomes more dominant? Do other components in the brain (hypothalamus,

cerebellum) have split functions? The ethical issues in the experiment involve the individuals

who have had their brain split. The individuals had to have their brain split previously not simply

for experimentation.


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The Other Half-Article Review

The article is written by Douglas Fields and involves an analysis of experiments

conducted by many scientists (Marian C. Diamond, Ben Barres, Ben Kater, etc). These experiments all

serve to explain the function of Glial cells in relation to neurotransmitters. Glial cells have been linked

with removing dead components in neurotransmitter triggers. The article indicated that the Glial cells are

able to achieve this by utilizing a calcium channel or possibly a different channel. The article goes on to

summarize the results of how Glial cells performed in specific scenarios. Overall, the article had various

conclusions. There is an influx of calcium ions due to Schwann cells responding to synaptic firing. Also,

Glial cells raised the concentration of calcium in response to this event as indicated by the flashes of

green fluorescence (shown in experimentation). Further, when neurons fire, Glial cells release greater

amounts of ATP in response to higher levels of calcium ions.

I believe that the article and the various experiments were interesting. As scientists probe deeper

into the brain, our understanding becomes more sophisticated. The discovery of Glial cells and more

recently their function shows this. Previously, the function of Glial cells was unknown and they were

though to do nothing. Recent experiments disprove this notion. The experiments in the article were all

based on sound methodology. The experiments were conducted in the correct manner with conclusive

evidence as a result. I agree with the conclusion because of the various experiments. I believe that Glial

cells do have functions outside of simply removing waste from neural activity. The article shows that

Glial cells have roles in ion release and function in response to certain stimuli. A few questions came to

mind when I was reading the article. Do Glial cells have any other role? Are there other components in

the brain that we have yet to discover? Do cells that we have already attributed functions to have any

other role? There were no ethical issues that arose throughout the article.

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Article Review-One Brain, The Other Half