Page 47 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

The Intelligent Mind • 31

Thalamus

Cerebral
Hypothalamus Cortex

Pituitary gland
Midbrain
Pons Cerebellum
Medulla oblongata
Spinal cord

Figure 2-5 Basic structure of the brain

Whichever hemisphere is dominant, it is the other hemi-
sphere that holds appreciation of forms and humor, mental
arousal, physiological readiness to respond, orientation in
space, recognition of voice timbre, musical talent, and ap-
preciation of things that do not lend themselves to verbal
descriptions. This hemisphere is considered to be the home
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site for global thought processes that can be described as the
“Aha!” response, which is exhibited when a sudden under-
standing of a concept occurs without the ability to describe
how the understanding was achieved. It often is assumed
that the left hemisphere controls the verbal and analytical
processes, while the right hemisphere handles the artistic,
emotional, abstract relationships. This is true for only a por-
tion of the population.
There are some clues, however, as to which hemisphere
is dominant. Approximately 99 percent of the right-handed
population and 56 percent of the left-handed population