PSYC 344 Test 2

What percentage of the cortex does the frontal lobe take up?

30% (largest lobe in the brain)

What is the posterior border of the frontal lobe?

the central sulcus

frontal lobe is everything anterior to the central sulcus

What part of the frontal lobe is the primary division? (name, general area, specific gyrus)

* motor cortex
* posterior frontal lobe
* prefrontal gyrus

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What parts of the frontal lobe are the secondary and tertiary divisions? (name and general areas) (2)

* pre-motor cortex
* anterior to the motor cortex
* pre-frontal cortex
* all the remaining anterior portions of the lobe

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What are the three subsections of the pre-frontal cortex?

* dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF)
* orbitofrontal (OF)
* ventromedial prefrontal (VMPF)

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Where is the dorsolateral prefrontal portion?

roughly on the top and side of the pre-frontal cortex

Where is the orbitofrontal portion?

sits above the eyes in the prefrontal cortex

Where is the ventromedial portion?

underside and towards middle of prefrontal cortex

Where is the anterior cingulate?

anterior portion of the cortex surrounding the lateral ventricles and corpus callosum (deeper tissue)

What are the responsibilities of the motor cortex? (2)

* sends information to the spinal motor neurons and cranial nerves
* executes movements for face and the rest of the body

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How is the motor cortex organized?

* organized contralaterally
* similar to the homunculus (more tissue dedicated to more fine motor skills/body parts

What parts of the brain are included in the premotor cortex? (3)

* premotor cortex
* supplementary cortex (Broca’s area)
* frontal eye fields

What types of neurons are contained in the premotor cortex? What do they do?

* contains mirror neurons
* these are active both when we do activity and when we watch someone do activity
* has implications for relating to people, emotions, empathy, communication, understanding unspoken language/communication, learning

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What are the responsibilities of the premotor cortex? (3)

* selects movement in response to external and internal cues
* motor planning according to environment
* sends signals to parts of the brain saying that movement is occurring → guides sensory input (why our field of vision appears smooth even during jerky movement like running)

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What are the responsibilities of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex? (1 with 5 examples)

* cognitive skills for executive functioning
* important for working memory, planning, decision making, inhibition, cognitive flexibility

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What are the responsibilities of the orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortexes? (i.e. how are they interconnected with parts of the limbic system?) (4)

* link behavior with memory and emotion (learning associations and patterns; punishments and reinforcements)
* guiding behavior based on anticipation consequences
* guide behavior in the context of part experiences and with goals for the future

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* important for consistency of self across time despite changes

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What is the role of the anterior cingulate?

* “the brakes”
* modulates activity in other areas when behavioral change is necessary (inhibition)

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What happens when there is damage to the motor cortex? (3) What wouldn’t happen?

damage causes motor deficits

* loss of fine movement, weakness, slowness
* trouble with motor sequencing
* trouble controlling gaze/focusing eyes

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does not cause paralysis (too many other parts of the brain are used for movement)

What happens is there is damage to the pre-motor cortex and/or Broca’s area? (3)

damage causes speech deficits

* word finding
* challenges with naming things
* grammar challenges

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What happens if there is damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex? (1)

disturbances in executive functioning

What happens if there is damage to the orbitofrontal and ventromedial portions? (2)

impaired social/sexual behavior

* apathy, flat affect, reduced sexual interest
* immaturity, lack of social filter, increased sexual activity

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Do receptors receive all sensory information? How does the brain handle this?

* receptors are affected by all stimuli
* brain filters out unnecessary things → we only consciously perceive small amounts of the information that comes in

Why does the brain filter information? Where is the relay center?

* information goes through the thalamus (relay center)
* our perceptual system can only process a certain amount of information at one time

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What does attention do?

* attention helps us limit what we pay attention to

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What two factors impact how large a person’s attention span can be at a given time?

1. the complexity of the task
2. how well practiced you are at the task

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What is multi-tasking on a neurological level? What results from this?

* actively dividing attention and switching between tasks
* leads to worse attention that if doing one thing at a time (especially if it’s a more challenging task)

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What is top-down attention? (3)

* voluntary
* goal-driven
* conscious

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What is bottom-up attention? (3)

* reflexive
* stimulus-driven
* unconscious

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What is the anatomical structure/network responsible for the top-down attention? What parts of the brain does this include? (5)

dorsal attention network

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1. part of parietal lobe
2. part of frontal lobe
3. part of temporal lobe
4. part of cingulate gyrus
5. insula

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What does the dorsal attention network? (What does it enable? What does it select?)

\*enables us to maintain attention on a current goal

\*selects sensory modality/location to attend to

What is the anatomical structure/network responsible for the bottom-up attention? What parts of the brain does it include? (3)

* ventral attention network


1. part of parietal lobe
2. part of frontal lobe
3. part of temporal lobe

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What does the ventral attention network do? (2)

1. detects unexpected or changing stimuli
2. disengages and reorients attention

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What is the DKEFS sorting test?

sort cards into groups based on different similarities

What is the tower of london test?

having to move one bead at a time at a time to make particular combinations

What is the twenty questions test?

guess a particular object in the fewest number of questions

What is the category naming test?

listing as many words as possible that fit into a particular category in a certain amount of time

What is the BRIEF test?

behavior rating inventory of executive functioning

parents answer questions about the child regarding particular functioning skills

What is the letter-number sequencing test?

examiner reads a sequence of letters and numbers; numbers are repeated back first lowest to highest; letters repeated back second in alphabetical order

What is the stroop test?

having to say the color of the text instead of the name of the text

What is the Wisconsin card sorting test?

have to sort cards according to a particular pattern decided by the test-admin

What is the trails test?

connecting letters and numbers together on paper

What are 9 examples of executive functioning skills?

1. problem solving
2. planning
3. strategy generation
4. fluency
5. working memory
6. inhibition
7. shift/mental flexibility
8. self-regulation and monitoring
9. organization

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What are 2 tests that test for problem solving?

* Wisconsin card sort
* tower of london

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What is a test for planning?

tower of london

What are 2 tests for strategy generation?

* tower of london
* 20 questions

What are 2 tests for fluency?

* stroop test
* category naming

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What are 3 tests for working memory?

* letter-number sequencing
* trails
* 20 questions

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What is a test for inhibition?

stroop test

What are 3 tests for shift/mental flexibility?

* category naming
* wisconsin card sort
* trails

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What are two tests for self-regulation and monitoring?

* wisconsin card sort
* BRIEF

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What is a test for organization?

wisconsin card sort

Which hemisphere is generally larger?

right is generally bigger

Which lobe has a greater gray:white matter ratio? What is the implication of this?

* left has more gray:white
* white matter is important for memory processing → more white matter makes processing faster on the right side generally

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Which structures are generally larger on the left hemisphere? (3)

* Broca’s area
* Wernicke’s area
* left thalamus

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Which structures are generally larger on the right hemisphere? (2)

structures in the

* posterior parietal
* dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

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What are the specialized tasks for vision according to hemisphere?

* L hemisphere (R visual field): words and letters
* R hemisphere (L visual field): faces

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What are the specialized tasks for auditory according to hemisphere?

* L hemisphere (R ear): speech
* R hemisphere (L ear): melodies

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What are the specialized tasks for somatosensory according to hemisphere?

* L hemisphere (R hand): letter identification
* R hemisphere (L hand): shapes and braille

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What are the specialized tasks for facial motor system according to hemisphere?

* L hemisphere (R side of mouth): verbal tasks
* R hemisphere (L side of mouth): facial expressions

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What is the term for split brain? How is this accomplished?

commissurotomy

* done surgically by cutting the corpus callosum to separate the hemispheres

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Why is it important to stimulate the cortex during brain surgery? What happens during stimulation of motor and sensory areas?

* stimulate the motor and sensory areas to determine the location of certain tasks in each individual
* movement/sensations occur on opposite side of stimulation

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What happens during stimulation of the left language areas?

speech arrest

What can happen in the stimulation of right tempo-parietal areas?

visual disturbances like hallucinations

What is the Wada procedure?

* sodium anaobarbital injection anesthetizes one hemisphere
* parts of epilepsy pre-surgical eval
* injection into the left hemisphere leads to speech arrest
* helps assess memory and motor functioning

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What are some tasks/responsibilities that the left hemisphere specializes in? (9)

1. speech (words, letters, sounds, grammar)
2. right hand motor
3. right ear auditory
4. right visual field
5. general interpretive system
6. arithmatic
7. verbal memory
8. complex movement
9. details

What are some tasks/responsibilities that the right hemisphere specializes in? (10)

1. left hand motor
2. left ear auditory
3. left visual field
4. analysis by touch/tactual patterns (braille)
5. spatial visualization (rotation, distance)
6. overall gestalt
7. facial recognition
8. music
9. non-language sounds
10. emotional context

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What is the response to the oversimplification of hemispheric dominance?

* the brain is much more complicated than this


* tasks employ both sides of the brain in nearly every instance, there are just more specialized/larger structures that make tasks easier/faster on one side

What are 4 general principles of laterality?

1. laterality is relative (both hemispheres are necessary in some way)
2. there are much more subtle differences between hemispheres than there are between lobes
3. laterality is affected by both environment and genetics
4. laterality isn’t restricted to humans

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What cognitive/emotional tasks are women generally better at? (5)

* math calculation
* recalling stories
* remembering spatial patterns
* precision/fine motor control
* matching items

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What cognitive/emotional tasks are men generally better at? (4)

* math reasoning
* finding geometric patterns
* mental object rotation
* targeted motor skills

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What are the anatomical differences between men and women guided by generally? (ie. how does anatomy relate to specialized cognitive or emotional tasks?)

* larger areas of cortex are allotted to regions that men and women are generally better at
* ex: women have larger language areas, so they tend to have better verbal fluency

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What are two caveats about anatomical brain differences between genders?

* low internal consistency (people vary a lot)
* lots of overlap between genders

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How do hormones impact brain development?

testosterone and estrogen effect brain structure and are linked to cognitive performance

How does the maturation rate difference between genders impact brain development?

* females mature faster on avg
* earlier maturing brains tend to have a language advantage and late maturing brains tend to have spatial skill advantage

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What is the overall takeaway about the differences between genders in the brain?

most likely it results from a combination of biological factors and socialization

What are the five different types of memory classification?

1. short-term memory
2. long-term memory
3. explicit memory
4. implicit memory
5. emotional memory

What is short-term memory? What is the it’s size and time capacities? What is it dependent on?

* working memory
* limited size and time capacity (holds 5-9 pieces of info for a short time)
* depends on rehearsal (can hold info longer with repetition)

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What is the size and time capacity of long-term memory? How is it recalled?

* large size (likely unlimited)
* large time capacity (often across the lifespan)
* can recall without rehearsal

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What is explicit memory? What are two types of memories that fall into this category?

* info you consciously recall and deliberately remember
* includes episodic memories (personal events) and semantic memories (facts)

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What is implicit memory? What are two types of memories that fall into this category?

* info you unconsciously/unintentionally learned
* includes classical conditioning and priming

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What is priming?

occurs when one word triggers a related word (river -- ba__)

What is emotional memory?

* has both conscious and unconscious aspects
* ex: episodic and priming with trauma/conditioning patterns

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What skills remained intact in the case study of HM? (6)

* communication
* long-term memory pre-surgery
* motor learning
* intelligence/IQ
* personality
* implicit long-term memory

What are some of HM’s deficits? (4) What are two important symptom terms?

* can’t remember short term without rehearsal
* can’t store new information in long-term memory (explicit long-term); aka anterograde amnesia
* retrograde amnesia: lacked memories from right before surgery
* spatial memory

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What is herpes simplex encephalitis? What is the name of the case study associated with this? What parts of the brain were affected?

* virus attacks the limbic system due to inflammation


* Clive’s case study
* hippocampi and temporal lobes impacted

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What causes Korsakoff’s syndrome?

* long-term heavy and chronic alcoholism paired with malnutrition
* leads to thiamine deficiency

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What damage does Korsakoff’s syndrome cause?

* damage to mammillary bodies (connections to hippocampi), frontal lobe atrophy

What are the symptoms of Korsakoff’s syndrome? (4) What condition is it often paired with?

symptoms:


1. amnesia (hippocampus)
2. confabulation (frontal lobe)
3. lack of insight (frontal lobe)
4. apathy (frontal lobe)

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often fluent aphasia goes along with it

What were some of the intact skills in the orientation interview of the case study with Korsakoff’s? (2)

* verbal communication
* baseline understanding of conversation/questions

What were some of the deficits in the orientation interview of the case study with Korsakoff’s? (4)

* can’t recall facts immediately
* difficulty with mental math/problem solving
* had a constructed scenario and wasn’t aware of deficits
* confabulation (made stories and details up that seemed reasonable)

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What is the anatomy behind episodic memory?

* hippocampus
* ventromedial prefrontal cortex
* connected with the uncinate fasciculus (bundle of white matter)

What are the general roles of the brain structures involved in episodic (explicit) memory?

* consolidates memories
* stores memories in surrounding cortex (ex: entorhinal areas)
* NOT stored in the hippocampus !!

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Where is semantic memory (explicit) stored?

temporal and frontal regions nearby episodic areas

What type of semantic memories are stored on the left side of the temporal lobe? (3)

word lists

stories

digit span (numbers)

What type of semantic memory is stored on the left side of the frontal lobe?

encoding of memory

What type of semantic memories are stored on the right side of the temporal lobe? (2)

face/picture memory

maze learning

What does the right side of the frontal lobe do with semantic memory?

retrieval of memory

What brain structures are responsible for implicit memory? (3)

cerebellum

basal ganglia

motor cortex

What brain structure (general and specific) is responsible for short-term/working memory?

prefrontal lobe (DLPF)

What is the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease?

must have significant decline in memory in addition to decline in at least one more cognitive area