Frontal lobe

Question 1

cerebral cortex: frontal lobe and excutive function

Answer 1

function of front lobe: seat of self, higher order cognition and important for nagvigation through day-day activities

• inhibitory control (to choose to prevent something)
• working memory (retaining info)
• cognitive flexibility (with inhibitory and working memory, ability to multitask)

these excutive functions are thought to be maintained within the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex

Question 2

Prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 2

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): persons with an objective cognitive impairment and a self-subjective cognitive complaint

Cognitive Impairment Not Dementia: persons with no objective cognitive impairment but reporting a subjective cognitive complaint

Question 3

how are objective cognitive impairments determined?

Answer 3

Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)

(MOCA)

Question 4

why is it important to diagnose dementia?

Answer 4

• in normal aging there is a slight decline in cognition
• people with mild cognitive impairment have a steeper cognitive decline (small atrophy of ventricles)
• with Alzheimer’s disease, the cognitive decline rapidly accelerates (big atrophy of ventricles)

Question 5

how can we reduce cognitive decline?

Answer 5

exercise

high fit adults (exercise regularly) 65+ have more activity in the regions of executive function compared to low fit adults (dont exercise regularly)

exercise is a way to maintain brain health and decrease cognitive decline

Question 6

measuring executive function

Answer 6

pro-saccades look towards the flash and anti-saccades look mirror of flash

measures executive function since pro-saccades is done regularly many times without much executive function

antisaccades use executive function, since you need to think about where to look

Question 7

mild cognitive impairment and exercise

Answer 7

patients improved anti-saccade reaction time after exercise

Question 8

what happens to someone when they perform a single aerobic exercise?

Answer 8

university students, after 20 mins of exercise, moderate intensity

pre-assessment on pro- and anti-saccades

after exercise, students were assessed and a big improvement of reaction times on pro- and anti-saccades at the immediate and 30 minute sessions, at 60 mins there was no more benefits