GCSEPsychologyAQARevision NotesBrain & NeuropsychologyAn Introduction to NeuropsychologyThe Effects of Neurological Damage

The Effects of Neurological Damage (AQA GCSE Psychology)

Revision Note

Claire Neeson

Expertise

Psychology Content Creator

The effects of a stroke on motor abilities

  • Neurological damage refers to any damage caused to the neurons in the brain caused by, for example, collision, illness or impact
  • One particularly serious form of neurological damage can be inflicted if someone suffers a stroke
  • A stroke is a dangerous, life-threatening event which occurs when the blood supply to a particular brain region is cut off or blocked
  • If the stroke has been particularly severe it can permanently damage the part of the brain where it has struck
  • A stroke may damage the motor area in the frontal lobes (either the left or the right hemisphere) of the brain
    • If a stroke hits the left hemisphere this will impair movement on the right side of the body and vice versa
    • The person affected by a stroke in the frontal lobes may have difficulty writing, walking, picking up objects etc.
    • The extent that which movement is impaired will depend on the severity of the stroke

The effects of a stroke on behaviour

  • Suffering a stroke can also impact language abilities both the production and the comprehension of speech and other forms of language
  • Aphasia is the term used to describe any language impairment or disability:
    • Someone who has had a stroke may struggle to:
      • understand what other people are saying
      • produce intelligible speech
      • read and/or write
  • Suffering a stroke in the left hemisphere could affect two specific areas:
    • Broca’s area:
      • A stroke in this area results in difficulties producing speech (Broca’s aphasia)
    • Wernicke’s area:
      • A stroke in this area results in difficulties understanding speech, reading and writing (Wernicke’s aphasia)

Exam Tip

It is possible to recover from neurological damage due to the brain’s ability to ‘heal’ itself (see the revision note on brain plasticity). Reversing the damage a stroke has done is known as functional recovery: the younger a person is, the more likely they are to recover from neurological damage as their brain is still developing and is more resistant to permanent impairment.

Worked example

Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO1.

AO1: You need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, ideas, theories and research.

After each featured question there is a ‘model’ answer i.e. one which would achieve top marks in the exam.

Question: Which one of the following statements about the effect of neurological damage is correct?

Select one answer only.  [1]

  1. Damage to the right hemisphere affects the right side of the body
  2. Damage to the right hemisphere affects the frontal lobes
  3. Damage to the right hemisphere affects the left side of the body
  4. Damage to the right hemisphere affects the hippocampus

Model answer:

The correct answer is c) Damage to the right hemisphere affects the left side of the body.

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    Claire Neeson

    Author: Claire Neeson

    Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.