Working Memory

Question 1

Working memory is an ______ fxn, it includes the ability to ______ and _______ task-relevant representations in mind

Answer 1

executive, maintain, update

Question 2

What can you do to inhibit inappropriate responses or distracting stimuli

Answer 2

CONCENTRATE

Question 3

What is the major region of the brain involved in working memory?

Answer 3

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Question 4

What are the executive control functions?

Answer 4

form, refine, & maintain goals to organize behavior & solve problems; sustain attention; regulate behavior/emotion (controls impulsive system)

Question 5

dlPFC is working memory but how?

Answer 5

PFC represents info not currently in front of us through pyramidal neuron network that excite e/o to maintain info in mind

Question 6

During a working memory task activity in network of pyramidal cells projects where?

Answer 6

to sensory association cortices & generates sustained activity related to sensory features of interest

Question 7

What are the parietal association cortices for? The temporal association cortices?

Answer 7

parietal= orient attentional resources in space/time
temporal= analyze visual features so can identify objects/places

Question 8

Contents of working memory may define our _______ awareness

Answer 8

concious; working memory allows us to link events in immediate past w/those in the present= we can anticipate events in the near future

Question 9

Where does the lateral PFC connect to? What is it for?

Answer 9

connects mostly w/sensory & motor association cortices; intentional regulation of emotional behavior & experience, also executive functions (planning & attention)

Question 10

Where does the medial PFC connect? What is it for?

Answer 10

connects mainly w/amygdala, anterior insula & hippocampus; for effortless forms of emotional regulation, social, emotional & appetitive stimuli, reward aspect of tasks

Question 11

Working memory is sustained by neuromodulation of what 2 neurotransmitters? What region is especially sensitive to these?

Answer 11

NE & DA (dopamine)

dlPFC especially sensitive

Question 12

Excess NE & DA in acute stress disrupts what?

Answer 12

working memory & leads to distractability (can however be beneficial in exploration of new task activities)

Question 13

What is happening in ADHD?

Answer 13

dlPFC is underactive & has weakened connections w/other parts of the brain; impaired PFC function= poor sustained attention, weaker impulse control

Question 14

What does NE do? What about DA?

Answer 14

NE= facilitates responsivity of neurons to shared preferred inputs. DA= sculpts neuronal firing by decreasing responsivity to non-preffered stimuli

Question 15

Association between what brain structures circuits and what cortex creates a ‘mental sketch pad?’

Answer 15

b/w recurrent, representational circuits in PFC & sensory association cortices

Question 16

What does ACh neuromodulation do? What about NE & DE?

Answer 16

ACh neuromodulation= consolidates memory in sensory cortex

NE & DA= generates patterns of working memory

Question 17

What provides the PFC w/bottom-up sensory info? What provides the PFC w/top-down regulation?

Answer 17

sensory cortices provides PFC w/bottom-up sensory info; PFC networks provide top-down regulation over sensory cortex to retrieve memories & guide sensory processing

Question 18

Where in the brain does maturation start?

Answer 18

w/motor & sensory cortices followed by language & spatial orientation areas

Question 19

What is the last to mature?

Answer 19

the dlPFC (area involved in control of impulses, judgement & decision making) + along w/medial PFC, they control & process emotional info sent from amygdala