Chapter 16: Frontal Lobes

PSYCH 377

What three main divisions of the prefrontal cortex are visible from a lateral view of the brain?

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the premotor cortex.

Which major fissure separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe?

The central sulcus.

From a ventral view, what two major regions of the prefrontal cortex are visible?

The orbitofrontal cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

What major prefrontal cortex region is located on the most inferior (bottom) surface of the frontal lobes?

The orbitofrontal cortex.

The orbitofrontal cortex receives inputs from all five sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, and _____.

olfactory.

What limbic system structure, involved in emotion, sends inputs to the orbitofrontal cortex?

The amygdala.

What is the primary function of the posterior zone of the medial frontal cortex?

The posterior zone serves motor functions.

The middle zone of the medial frontal cortex is involved with cognitive functions, pain, and _____.

affect (emotion).

Which functional zone of the medial frontal cortex is associated with the default mode network, reward, and social processing?

The anterior zone.

The cingulate cortex is divided into three main parts: the anterior (ACC), the middle (MCC), and the _____ (PCC).

posterior.

Which part of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in cognitive processes and is connected to the prefrontal cortex?

The dorsal ACC.

Which part of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in emotional processes and is connected with the amygdala?

The ventral ACC.

Term: Default Mode Network

A network of brain regions, including parts of the frontal lobe, that seems most active when individuals have an internal focus.

Which brain network involves the anterior cingulate cortex and is important for responding to external stimuli that require a behavioral change?

The salience network.

Dysfunction of the salience network leads to excessive activity in the _____ and decreases in attention.

default mode network.

What is a primary function of the frontal lobes regarding behavioral strategies?

The sequential organization and implementation of behavioral strategies in response to internal and external stimuli.

What is the function of the primary motor cortex?

It executes basic movements.

What is the function of the premotor cortex?

It selects and coordinates sequences of movements.

Which area of the frontal lobe directs the gaze toward specific targets or in response to internally generated goals?

The frontal eye fields.

Term: Temporal Memory

The record of recent neural events and the order in which they occurred, a function associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

What happens when temporal memory is impaired due to frontal lobe damage?

External cues become more important, and patients have difficulty suppressing movements directed at those cues.

Term: Autonoetic Awareness

Self-knowledge or self-awareness that allows us to understand our personal history and future goals.

Injury to which parts of the frontal lobe can lead to a loss of autonoetic awareness?

The medial or ventral frontal lobes.

Term: Executive Function

The ability to plan and generate new actions in response to changing environmental demands.

List three components of executive function.

Any three of: attentional control, planning, reasoning, working memory, problem solving, abstract thinking, or self-monitoring.

Which hemisphere of the frontal lobe is particularly important for setting tasks?

The left frontal lobe.

Which hemisphere of the frontal lobe is primarily responsible for monitoring ongoing tasks?

The right frontal lobe.

What is the difference between 'hot' and 'cool' executive functions?

'Hot' functions involve emotionally significant situations, while 'cool' functions involve emotionally neutral tasks.

Damage to the _____ results in difficulties programming rapid sequences of skilled movements, especially asynchronous hand movements.

supplementary motor cortex.

Term: Corollary Discharge

A neural signal that indicates a movement will occur, enabling the visual system to compensate and keep the visual world stable.

Cells in which part of the frontal lobe are involved in processing corollary discharge information for eye movements?

The frontal eye fields.

What is the key difference between convergent and divergent thinking?

Convergent thinking involves finding a single correct answer, while divergent thinking involves generating multiple possibilities for open-ended questions.

How do frontal-lobe injuries typically affect convergent versus divergent thinking?

They interfere more with divergent thinking than with convergent thinking, which is why IQ scores may not decrease.

What is perseveration in the context of frontal-lobe damage?

It is the tendency to repeat the same word, action, or strategy, even when it is no longer appropriate.

What cognitive deficit is demonstrated when a patient with frontal-lobe damage continues sorting by an old rule in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, despite knowing it's wrong?

Perseveration and failure to shift strategy in response to environmental feedback.

What is the primary task in the Stroop Test?

To suppress the tendency to read a word and instead name the color of the ink it is written in.

Patients with lesions in the _____ find the Stroop Test almost impossible to perform.

left frontal lobe.

During a gambling task with ambiguous risks, which two brain areas showed increased activity in control subjects?

The orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala.

How does prefrontal damage affect performance on the delayed-response task in monkeys?

It reduces performance to the level of chance, indicating poor temporal memory.

In the recency memory test, frontal-lobe patients perform poorly when they must recall the _____ of presentation, but not when they only need to perform a recognition task.

order.

What was the major consequence of the injury to Phineas Gage's left frontal lobe?

His personality changed significantly, from responsible and community-centered to irresponsible, impatient, and capricious.

Term: Pseudodepression

A condition resulting from frontal lobe damage characterized by outward apathy, indifference, loss of initiative, and reduced verbal output.

Term: Pseudopsychopathy

A condition resulting from frontal lobe damage characterized by a lack of tact, coarse language, promiscuous behavior, and increased motor activity.

Damage to the _____ results in more dramatic personality changes, such as pseudodepression and pseudopsychopathy.

orbitofrontal cortex.

How does damage to the orbitofrontal cortex affect sexual behavior?

It tends to reduce inhibitions, which can enable abnormal sexual behavior.

How does damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affect sexual behavior?

It tends to reduce interest in sexual behavior.

What is the primary purpose of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task in neuropsychological assessment?

It assesses the ability to shift strategies in response to changing feedback.

What cognitive skill is primarily measured by the Tower of London and Tower of Hanoi tasks?

Planning.

What is the difference between fluid and crystallized intelligence?

Fluid intelligence involves seeing relationships and drawing conclusions, while crystallized intelligence is the ability to apply previous learning.

Fluid intelligence is associated with a network connecting the prefrontal cortex and the _____.

posterior parietal cortex.

According to brain-imaging studies, what were the two most important systems that accounted for 90% of participant variance on intelligence tests?

Multiple demand working memory and multiple demand reasoning.

Patients with frontal-lobe damage often show reduced _____, producing fewer responses when asked to list words starting with a particular letter.

behavioral spontaneity.

The inability of frontal-lobe patients to learn from experience, even when they can describe what they are supposed to do, is a deficit in _____.

associative learning.

Which view of the brain best shows the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex?

The medial view.

Patients with damage to the _____ have difficulty interpreting social context and altering their behavior appropriately.

orbitofrontal cortex.

Which executive function involves keeping track of what has been done and what still needs to be done in a task?

Self-monitoring (or working memory).

In a study by Funahashi et al., a lesion in the frontal cortex impaired a monkey's ability to locate a flashed target in which part of its visual field?

In one region of the visual field contralateral to the lesion.

In a monkey study, cells in the _____ were selective for a specific tone and, after a delay, also responded to the associated color.

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.