Neurophysiology of Higher Cognition (Karius)

Question 1

What are the components of cognition

Answer 1

Language

Social cognition

Decision making

Executive functioning

• Forward planning
• Anticipation
• Reasoning

Memory

Visuospatial perception

Question 2

Cognition requires extensive synaptic interactions between what type of cells?

Answer 2

Pyramidal cells of all neocrotical association areas

Question 3

What is the systems that leads to spoken language

Answer 3

Language conceptual system –> language mediational system –> language implementation system –> spoken language

Question 4

What structures are utilized in the language implementation system (final common pathway) for speaking?

Answer 4

Wernicke’s Area

Arcuate fasciculus

Broca’s Area

Facial area of the motor cortex

Question 5

What structures compose the mediational system for language?

Answer 5

Temporal, parietal and frontal association areas

Question 6

What is the function of the conceptional system for language?

Answer 6

Provides concepts of what you are trying to communicate

Question 7

By what age can babies recognize all sounds that might be language?

Answer 7

6 months

Question 8

When learning a second language after the language acquisition phase, what region is activated?

Answer 8

Area adjacent to Broca’s area

Question 9

What is social cognition an important factor of?

Answer 9

Ability to function in interpersonal and social situations

Question 10

What are the two components of social cognition?

Answer 10

Emotion Comprehension (recognition)

Theory of Mind

Question 11

What observable information can you use to infer the emotional state of another person?

Answer 11

Prosody (speech)

Facial Expression

Question 12

What part of the brain identifies faces and facial expressions?

Answer 12

Superior Temporal Sulcus

Fusiform gyrus

Question 13

What parts of the brain adds in the emotional component when identifying facial expressions?

Answer 13

Amygdala (main)

Question 14

What main part of the face is used to identify another person’s facial expression?

Answer 14

Eyes, Nose & Mouth (The triangle)

Question 15

What system is possibly activated when looking at someone else’s face?

Answer 15

Mirror Neuron System

Question 16

What structure controls the use of they eye and directs the gaze to the triangle that allows for emotional detection?

Answer 16

Amygdala

Question 17

What input does the mirror neuron system need to imitate motions?

Answer 17

Visual input from the posterior sector of the superior temporal sulcus

Question 18

What does the posterior mirror neuron system do?

Answer 18

Identifies motor action of observed individual (e.g are they smiling, kicking a ball, etc)

Question 19

What does the anterior mirror neuron system do?

Answer 19

Identifies goal of motor action in observed individual (e.g why are they smiling, why kicking a ball, etc)

Question 20

The circuit for imitating is believed to interact with limbic structures via ____.

Answer 20

insula

Question 21

What is prosody?

Answer 21

Study of tune and rhythm of speech and how these features contribute to meaning

Question 22

What brain region is required for the basics of sound processing, including identity of pitch, loudness, and other characteristics

Answer 22

Primary auditory cortex

Question 23

What brain region pieces together the meaning of pitch, loudness, and other characteristics (Ex: mom calling for you for dinner vs something bad)

Answer 23

Right posterior superior temporal sulcus

Question 24

Where is judgment of emotional stimulus determined (Ex: is observed individual angry, mad, happy, sad, etc)

Answer 24

Frontal cortex

Question 25

What are the steps of perception of prosody

Answer 25

1. **Primary Auditory cortex -** Identifies pitch, loudness, and other characteristics of sound (hear mother calling name) 2. **Right posterior superior temporal sulcus -** pieces together the meaning of loudness, pitch, etc. of volcalization (assumption of why she called name) 3. **Frontal Cortex -** judges the emotional stimulus (determine why she called name)

Question 26

What is the theory of mind?

Answer 26

Ability to understand the mental state of others (Why is that person thinking the way he/she is?) and to appreciate how these differ from our own

Question 27

What structures are required for the theory of mind?

Answer 27

1. Amygdala 2. Medial Temporal Lobes (memory and sensory processing) 3. Orbitofrontal regions (sensory and emotional processing) 4. Accessory pathways

Question 28

What are the functions of accessory pathways in the theory of mind?

Answer 28

Language: In young children, can be a scaffold for linguistic cues. Executive Functioning

Question 29

A decision in which the risks are known relies most heavily on what system

Answer 29

Stimulus Encoding system

Question 30

A decision in which the risks are unknown rely most heavily on what system?

Answer 30

Expected reward system then switches to the Action selection system

Question 31

What type of decision is the stimulus encoding system involved with?

Answer 31

Decision with known risks Evaluates evidence available to make a decision and predicts the consequences of actions.

Question 32

What structures are involved in the stimulus encoding system for decision making?

Answer 32

Orbitofrontal cortex Ventromedial prefrontal cortex striatum

Question 33

What type of decision is the Action selection system involved with?

Answer 33

Decisions with ambiguous risk learns from mistakes, encodes results

Question 34

What structure is involved in the action selection system for decision making?

Answer 34

Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Question 35

What type of decision is the expected reward system involved with?

Answer 35

Decisions with ambiguous risk Predicts expected reward

Question 36

What structure is involved in the expected rewards system for decision making?

Answer 36

Amygdala Basal Ganglia Insular Cortex - processing of social emotions Intraparietal Cortex - somatosensory processing of planning/intent

Question 37

A decision in which the risks are explicit (known) relies most heavily on what

Answer 37

Stimulus Encoding System

Question 38

Decisions in which the risks are unknown rely most heavily on what system

Answer 38

Expected reward system and eventually the Action Selection System