Conducted by scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Dartmouth College, the study also provides evidence that human brains did not develop specifically to use written language, but instead have adapted older brain operations for reading and writing. While V.J's left hemisphere continues to control her reading and speaking, it possesses only the most rudimentary writing abilities. It is the right side of V.J.'s brain that controls her writing. Baynes is the lead author on a paper discussing these findings, now under peer review. Calif. V.J.'s case also offers a rare window into the hotly debated issue of how closely related the brain systems are for spoken and written language, says Michael Gazzaniga, head of Dartmouth's cognitive neuroscience program.
Human language is an instinct.
In this case, the dramatic separation of functions clearly reveals that the invented process of writing is independent and not tied necessarily to processes associated with spoken words. In all people, the right side of the brain generally controls the left half of the body. The left side of the brain handles the right side of the body. The visual system is similar, with your eyes sending information on the right half of the space in front of you to the left side of your brain, and information from the left visual field to the right hemisphere. To see the big picture, both halves of the brain normally share their information.