Lecture 14: Frontal Lobes

Question 1

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC)

Answer 1

makes reciprocal connections with posterior parietal cortex and superior temporal sulcus

responsible for selecting behavior and movement with respect to temporal memory

Question 2

Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC)

Answer 2

gains input from all sensory modalities

projections influence autonomic nervous system physiological changes important for decision making related to emotion and reward

Question 3

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)

Answer 3

connects subcortically with structures capable of emotional behavior bodywide

responsible for selecting behavior with respect to context, based either on current circumstance or previous knowledge, including self-knowledge

Question 4

Salience Network

Answer 4

correlated activity among the anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor cortex, and anterior insular cortex that operates to modulate other brain networks’ activities and is most active when a behavioral change is needed

Question 5

Temporal Meaning

Answer 5

memory for the order of events in time

Question 6

Executive Function

Answer 6

a term applied to the range of cognitive processes that feature elements of self-control, such as attentional control, planning, reasoning, working, memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and self-monitoring

generally associated with the frontal lobe, through also involving many other brain areas linked to the frontal lobe

Question 7

Corollary Discharge

Answer 7

a signal from the frontal lobe to the parietal and temporal association cortex that preset the sensory system to anticipate a motor act

thus, the sensory system can interpret changes in the external world in light of information about voluntary movement

Question 8

Reafference

Answer 8

confirmation by one part of the nervous system of the activity in another

Question 9

Agrammatism

Answer 9

impairment in the ability to use verbs and to produce appropriate grammer

Question 10

Convergent Thinking

Answer 10

a search for a single answer to a question (e.g., 2 + 2 = ?)

Question 11

Divergent Thinking

Answer 11

a search for multiple solutions to a problem (e.g. how may ways to use a pen)

Question 12

Delayed-Response Task

Answer 12

a behavioral task in which a subject observes a reward being placed under a plaque, in a well

the subject’s view is blocked for a few seconds, and then the subject is allowed to retrieve the reward

Question 13

Pseudodepression

Answer 13

a personality change subsequent to frontal-lobe lesion in which apathy, indifference, and loss of initiative are apparent symptoms but are not accompanied by a patient’s sense of being dejected or dispirited

Question 14

Pseudopsychopathy

Answer 14

a personality change subsequent to frontal-lobe lesion in which immature behavior, lack of tact, and restraint, and other behaviors symptomatic of psychopathology are apparent but are not accompanied by the equivalent mental or emotional components of psychopathology

Question 15

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 15

the ability to see abstract relationships and draw logical inferences

Question 16

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 16

an ability to retain and use knowledge acquired through prior learning and experience

Question 17

What is the anatomy of the frontal lobes?

Answer 17

constitutes 20% of neocortex

all regions anterior to central sulcus

Question 18

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 18

persistence and ignoring distracting stimuli (attention, vigilance)

short-term, working, and temporal memory

executive functions or “cognitive control”: cognitive flexibility (not perseverating), planning & decision making (advance information), response inhibition, error correction & troubleshooting

emotion

Question 19

What is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST)?

Answer 19

after 10 correct trials: change rules

patients who perseverate cannot switch behavior to fit with new rule

even continue when they “know” they are not following the new rule

disconnection between thought and action

Question 20

What is environmental dependency syndrome?

Answer 20

had a life where they engaged in certain behaviors or actions

certain cues trigger these behaviors, revert back to what’s familiar to him

“environmental cues” trigger perseveration

also relates to pre-morbid functioning

cannot inhibit responses - free will?

Question 21

What is the experiment used to asses the advance information paradigm in the frontal lobes?

Answer 21

have to determine if “R” when rotated clockwise will be normal or backward

then have to match to cue to know if it’s correct

normal: faster on task two because they don’t have to do mental rotation

frontal lobe damage: show same results between conditions

Question 22

What is the advance information paradigm?

Answer 22

frontal lobe patients have difficulty using advance information (i.e., cannot employ advance info for strategy formation)

alternative hypothesis: cannot maintain image in working memory, maybe they can’t keep info in working memory long enough

perseveration

Question 23

What was the experiment on response inhibition conducted on neurologically intact individuals?

Answer 23

GO/NOGO task

presented green light; push button
don’t push button when presented with red light

“oddball task”: 80% green, 20% red

ACC: is active in both red and green trials

LH inferior frontal: role in response inhibition in NOGO trials, not active in GO trial

RH inferior frontal: same activation as LH

Question 24

What is the orbitofrontal cortex?

Answer 24

reward and punishment

lesions: deficits in anticipating consequences, myopic for future, yet high intellect (patient case)

disinhibited - aggressive behavior

lack of empathy

Question 25

What is the dorsolateral cortex?

Answer 25

acting on feelings (motivational states)

functional asymmetries in NI (fMRI)

approach - pleasant (LH)

withdrawal - aversive (RH)

Question 26

What are catastrophic reactions?

Answer 26

caused by LH lesions

inappropriate sadness, anger, tearfulness

Question 27

What is euphoric-indifference?

Answer 27

caused by RH lesions

inappropriate happiness, joy, humor

deficit in identifying subtle humor and emotional judgement

Question 28

What is the relationship between the prefrontal cortex and depression?

Answer 28

Beck inventory used to measure depression: increased scores means increased levels of depression

patients with left anterior lesions had higher depression scores

levels of depression increase as lesions get further back in right side

Question 29

What is the valence-arousal model of emotion?

Answer 29

Wendy Heller

neuropsych model: based on observational damage

valence dimension (frontal): if there is more LH activation than RH valence is positive, more RH activation means unpleasant valence

arousal dimension (right parietotemporal): right hemisphere plays role in arousal, determines emotion you experience within the valence