Functional anatomy of attention and memory

Question 1

Define what is meant by attention

Answer 1

Attention is the mind being able to take possession/control of one out of several simultaneous possible tests/trains of thought that are calling for our resources

Question 2

list the 2 types of cognitive processes that come under attention and comment on how they differ

Answer 2

global and domain specific
Global = a global cognitive process that encompasses multiple sensory modalities (being able to switch between different sensory inputs)
Domain-specific = attention that relates to a specific sensory modality

Question 3

list and describe the various subtypes of attention

Answer 3

• Arousal: a general state of wakefulness and responsivity
• Vigilance: capacity to maintain attention over prolonged periods of time
• Divided attention: ability to respond to more than one task at once (e.g. driving and talking to someone)
• Selective attention: ability to focus on one stimulus while suppressing competing stimuli (blocking out background noise whilst studying)

Question 4

give 2 examples of domain-specific cognitive processes

Answer 4

spatial awareness

visual awareness

Question 5

what effect would a breakdown of global attention have and how would this affect the subtypes of attention?

Answer 5

Would cause delirium/acute confusional state (with memory impairments)

effect on subtypes of attention:
• Impaired arousal: ‘drowsiness’
• Impaired vigilance: ‘impersistence’
• Impaired divided and selective attention: ‘distractible’

Question 6

what is the most common disturbance of mental state seen by doctors?

Answer 6

delirium

Question 7

what effect would a breakdown of domain-specific attention have

Answer 7

visual inattention
sensory inattention
neglect (ignoring one side of visual field)

Question 8

what are the 3 major systems involved in the functional anatomy of attention ?

Answer 8

Top-down attentional modulation (being able to switch between different sensory inpit)
bottom-up attentional competition
arousal mechanisms

Question 9

what would impair attentional functioning ?

Answer 9

hyperarousal (e.g. pain or fear) - when in pain or fear our amygdala down regulates attention encases some stimuli are more important than others.

Question 10

if someone has impaired attention, how will there arousal be affected?

Answer 10

Someone with impaired attention will not necessarily have impaired arousal

Question 11

if someone has impaired arousal, how will there attention be affected?

Answer 11

Someone with impaired arousal will also have impaired attention

Question 12

what are the stages of memory formation after receiving a sensory input?

Answer 12

sensory memory (unattended info is lost) –if pay attention–> short term memory (unrehearsed info is lost) –encoding–> long term memory (some info may be lost over time if not used)

Question 13

what does working memory involve?

Answer 13

active maintenance and manipulation of information in short term storage

Question 14

how many elements/digits can someone usually hold in short term memory?

Answer 14

7 +/- 2

Question 15

out of the features of working memory, what is the role of the visuospatial sketchpad?

Answer 15

allows us to visualise or imagine visual information

Question 16

out of the features of working memory, what is the role of the phonological loop?

Answer 16

allows us to process what we hear (auditory information)

Question 17

out of the features of working/short term memory, what is the role of the episodic buffer?

Answer 17

relays/brings in info from our long term memory when we need it

Question 18

what effect would the removal of the hippocampus have on memory?

Answer 18

still maintain an understanding of language and can improve well on intelligence tests
–> Lose the ability to consolidate (transfer info from short term to long term memory)

Question 19

what are the subgroup classifications that come under long term memory?

Answer 19

explicit (declarative) and implicit (procedural)
explicit = episodic + semantic
implicit = motor skills + classic conditioning

Question 20

describe episodic memory

Answer 20

Memory of Personally experienced, temporally specific episodes/events (available to conscious access and reflection)

Question 21

what anatomical structures are involved in episodic memory ?

Answer 21

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, interacts with structures in extended limbic system.

Extended limbic system (circuit of Papez):
• In the Medial temporal lobe - hippocampus and entorhinal cortex
• In the Diencephalon - mammillary bodies and thalamic nuclei

Question 22

mention the acute deficits of episodic memory impairment

Answer 22

Pure amnesia: Transient global amnesia + Transient epileptic amnesia (just memory loss)

Mixed deficit: Delirium (loss of memory AND attention)

Question 23

mention the chronic deficits of episodic memory impairment

Answer 23

Pure amnesia: hippocampal damage + diencephalic damage

Mixed deficit: dementia (loss of memory AND attention)

Question 24

describe semantic memory

Answer 24

memory of factual information and vocabulary (not dependant on limbic structures)

Question 25

what anatomical regions are involved in semantic memory network?

Answer 25

anterior temporal lobe.

Anterior temporal cortex (ATC) and angular gyrus (AG) integrate incoming information

Question 26

what is meant by category-specific semantic memory?

Answer 26

info is stored in different places depending on what it is

Question 27

what may result due to anterior temporal cortical destruction or atrophy?

Answer 27

herpes simplex encephalitis
trauma, tumours
Alzheimer’s dementia
semantic dementia

Question 28

describe implicit (procedural memory), what anatomical structures does it involve?

Answer 28

memory of motor skills we have acquired to perform tasks which cannot be explained to others

basal ganglia and cerebellum