Neuroscience and Psychology: One Brain, Two Hemispheres

Explore how the brain’s hemispheres differ, interact, and shape cognition

What you’ll learn
Explain why the brain is divided into two hemispheres and how each contributes to cognition
Describe structural and functional asymmetries, including perisylvian language regions, spatial processing, emotion, attention, and memory
Understand the primary methods used to study hemispheric specialisation and interaction
Analyse how handedness relates to language dominance and hemispheric organisation
Identify major aphasia syndromes and link them to specific brain regions
Recognise the behavioural and neural characteristics of hemispatial neglect and extinction
Explain how the corpus callosum enables inter-hemispheric cooperation and when hemispheric independence is advantageous
Interpret findings from split-brain patients and what they reveal about lateralised functions
Assess how ageing affects brain asymmetry, corpus callosum integrity, and cognitive functioning
Evaluate theories such as the Right Hemi-Ageing Model (RHAM) and the HAROLD model of hemispheric reorganisation

Requirements
You do not need prior knowledge of neuroscience or psychology. A basic interest in how the brain supports cognition will help, but the course is designed to be accessible to students from all backgrounds.

Description
How do the left and right hemispheres of the brain work together to create a unified mind? Why do language, attention, memory, emotion, and perception seem to depend more heavily on one hemisphere than the other? And what happens when communication between the two sides breaks down?This course provides a comprehensive, evidence-based introduction to hemispheric specialisation and inter-hemispheric communication in the human brain. Drawing on cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience, it explores how structural and functional asymmetries arise, how they support efficient information processing, and how they change across the lifespan.You will examine classic and contemporary findings—from Broca and Wernicke’s discoveries to modern fMRI research—and gain insight into major clinical conditions, including aphasia, hemispatial neglect, extinction, and split-brain syndrome. These phenomena reveal how the hemispheres contribute uniquely to perception, language, attention, and memory, and how the corpus callosum supports coordination between them.The course also covers how ageing affects the hemispheres, including callosal atrophy and changes in functional organisation. We discuss two leading models—RHAM and HAROLD—to understand how ageing reshapes lateralisation and how the brain compensates for age-related decline.Taken together, the lectures provide a rigorous but accessible overview of one of the most fascinating topics in neuroscience and cognitive psychology. No prior specialist knowledge is required.

Who this course is for
Undergraduate and postgraduate students in psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science.
Health professionals, therapists, and educators seeking a deeper scientific understanding of hemispheric organisation.
Anyone curious about how the left and right hemispheres differ and how they work together.
Individuals preparing for study in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, or clinical psychology.

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