function of frontal lobe

Question 1

What is affected by damage to the frontal eye fields?

Answer 1

Voluntary saccades (involuntary saccades remain intact).

Question 2

What are the effects of unilateral damage to the supplementary motor area (SMA)?

Answer 2

The contralateral limb may act autonomously (e.g., anarchic hand syndrome), though sensation and ownership remain normal.

Question 3

What is utilization behaviour and when does it occur?

Answer 3

Spontaneous, object-appropriate actions triggered by visual stimuli, typically after bilateral SMA damage.

Question 4

What distinguishes anarchic hand syndrome from utilization behaviour?

Answer 4

Anarchic hand syndrome (unilateral damage) = patient denies responsibility;
Utilization behaviour (bilateral damage) = patient acknowledges responsibility after the action.

Question 5

What is a key feature of actions caused by damage to the SMA?

Answer 5

Actions are appropriate and executed normally, but without conscious intent.

Question 6

Who was Phineas Gage and why is he important in neuroscience?

Answer 6

A railway worker whose prefrontal cortex was damaged in an accident, leading to changes in personality and behaviour—evidence for the role of the prefrontal cortex in self-control and decision-making.

Question 7

What cognitive abilities are impaired by prefrontal cortex damage or lobotomies?

Answer 7

Impulse control

Goal-directed planning

Sustained concentration

Working memory function

Question 8

What are the autonomic responses to threat and danger?

Answer 8

Increased heart rate, respiration, sweating, pupil dilation, and decreased salivation.

Question 9

Which hormones are involved in the body’s response to stress?

Answer 9

CRH (Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone), ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone), and epinephrine.

Question 10

What are the three components of an emotional response?

Answer 10

Skeletomotor (e.g., facial expressions)

Physiological (e.g., autonomic & hormonal changes)

Subjective (emotional experience)