Neuroscience Perception/cognition

PERCEPTION

Perception: The ability to interpret and integrate various modes of sensory information

into a cohesive whole to form human experience.

• Sensory Modes = olfaction, gustation, tactile, auditory, visual

Sensory perception: 

• Posterior multimodal association area

• Located in the posterior aspect of cerebral cortex (where parietal, occipital and temporal lobes meet)

Motor Perception: 

• Anterior multimodal association area 

• Prefrontal cortex 

• A storage area for motor plans 

Motor planning

• Uses it to make a decision on a motor plan to use

• Access appropriate motor plan

• The primary motor area (M1) implements the plan

• What is ideational praxis?

• When you decide what motor plan to use

• The ability to cognitively understand the demands of a motor task.

• What part is ideomotor planning 1?

• Knowing how to implement the motor plan. A framework for motor planning.

• What part is ideomotor planning 2?

• Actually implementing the motor plan.

Perception of emotional experience 

• Limbic multimodal association area

• Located on internal surface of parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes

• Includes hippocampal formation, cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and amygdala

• Takes the information from the anterior and posterior multimodal association area and links it to emotions and motivations

• Responsible for the generation of emotion in response to events

• Decides whether behaviors are rewarding and should be repeated, and forms memories that guide future behaviors.

Perceptual Impairments

• Brain area for perception: Anterior Multimodal Association Area of Right Hemisphere

• Often a result of dysfunction of right hemisphere

• Often involve distortion of physical reality and one’s relationship to that reality

• There are several classifications of perception.

Visual-Spatial Perception

Tactile Perception

Body-Schema-Perceptual Disorder

Language Perception

In what way does the brain lesion causing aphasia differ from most other perceptual disorders?

Unlike most other perceptual disorders, which mainly affect the ability to interpret sensory information (such as vision or hearing), aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain damage, specifically affects language processing and expression (understanding and producing language).

Motor Planning Perception

Cognition

• Cognition = Mental Processing

• Starts in the Frontal Lobe 

• Hierarchical processing: higher levels that control lower levels

• Posterior Multimodal association area: receives inputs from the visual and auditory systems and from the hippocampus

• Anterior Multimodal association area: Located in the prefrontal cortex. Links information from other association areas. Important in memory, planning, and higher-order concept formation.

Levels of Cognition 

 Low: Arousal,  Attention, Orientation, Recognition,  Simple command following (1-2 step),  Memory,  Initiation of activity

 High: Insight,  Multiple step command,  Mental flexibility,  Planning,  Problem solving,  Abstraction,  New learning,  Generalization of Learning,  Safety/judgement

Neural Processing of Decision Making

Prefrontal cortex → Anterior Cingulate cortex → Limbic System → Memory Centers

Categories of cognition

Orientation: The awareness of oneself in relation to time, place, and situation. 

• EX: Knowing what day it is, where you are, and what you're supposed to be doing.

Categorization: The ability to group objects, ideas, or events based on common characteristics. 

• EX: Classifying animals into categories like mammals, reptiles, birds, etc

Sequencing: The ability to arrange things in a specific order or to follow steps in a process. 

• EX: Following the steps in a recipe to bake a cake

Organization: The ability to arrange items or thoughts in a structured manner for efficiency.

• EX: Creating a to-do list to prioritize tasks

Planning: Making a strategy to achieve a goal 

• EX: Planning a vacation, including booking flights, hotels, and activities 

Problem solving: The ability to find solutions to challenges or obstacles

• EX: When you get a flat tire and figure out someone to call or how to change the tire

Self-regulation: The ability to manage and control your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors

• EX: Staying calm and composed in stressful situations

Inhibition: The ability to suppress inappropriate or impulsive behaviors.

• EX: Refraining from interrupting someone when they are speaking.

Initiation/termination of activity: The ability to begin or stop an activity at the appropriate time. 

• EX: Stopping an activity when its time, knowing when it's time to turn of phone and go to bed

New learning: The ability to acquire new knowledge or skills

• EX: Learning how to play a new musical instrument

Generalization of learning: Applying learned knowledge or skills to new situations

• EX: Using problem-solving skills learned in one area (like math) to solve problems in a different field (like cooking)

Direction following: The ability to follow verbal or written instructions to complete tasks

• EX: Following a map to reach a destination.

Abstraction: The ability to think about concepts and ideas that are not physically present or visible.

• EX: Thinking about the concept of "justice" without needing to see it in action.

Awareness and insight: Understanding one’s own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and recognizing how they impact others.

• EX: Realizing you are feeling frustrated and understanding why it is affecting your interactions with others.

Judgement: The ability to make reasonable decisions based on available information

• EX: Deciding whether to buy a used car based on its condition and price.

Metacognition: The ability to think about and reflect on your own thinking processes

• EX: Knowing when to take a break while studying to improve focus

Delayed gratification: The ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward in favor of a later, often greater, reward.

• EX: Saving money for a vacation instead of spending it immediately on unnecessary purchases. 

Motivation and drive: The inner desire and determination to achieve goals and complete tasks.

• EX: Getting up early to go for a run because you’re determined to get in shape.

Mental flexibility: The ability to adapt to new, changing, or unexpected situations.

• EX: Changing plans last minute