Thinking planning and deciding Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex?
The brain hub for flexible behavior and regulator of input output pathways. Essential for cognitive control and flexible behavior.
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connected to?
The reward related, planning related and attention related cortical areas.
What parts of the brain are in the reward related area of the cortex?
The Orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex.
What parts of the brain are in the planning area of the cortex?
The premotor cortex?
What parts of the brain are in the attention related area of the cortex?
Parietal areas.
What does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex do?
Actively regulates other circuits. Controls the response of other groups of neurons by increasing or decreasing response to inputs and feedback. Produces different responses in different contexts.
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex important for?
Switching attention, working memory, maintaining abstract rules, and inhibiting inappropriate response.
What flexible behaviour?
As opposed to reflexive behavior it allows us to override habits and find new solutions in unpredictable circumstances. The most flexible, complex, and future-oriented behaviors are computed through the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
How does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affect working memory?
Helps with the ability to keep information in mind in order to guide behavior.
How does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex maintain abstract rules?
The DLPFC shows systematic patterns of behavior in accordance with specific rules. Changes in the rules change the specific firing rates of neurons in the DLPFC.
What plays an important role in estimating reward value?
The orbitofrontal cortex.
How do we compare the reward values of two or more different options?
The OFC and vmPFC store reward values for two or more options. These values are then compared. Damage to the vmPFC disrupts this process.
What regulates the amygdala?
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
What are the three necessary things for evaluating different options.
- Sensory areas - identification of stimuli and their properties
- Hippocampus, amygdala, and medial temporal lobe - retrieval of past experiences
- Reward related dopamine neurons in the midbrain - Associations between actions and consequences
How does the orbitofrontal cortex functions a cognitive map?
The orbitofrontal cortex maintains a cognitive map of currently relevant behavioral stimuli, their values, and their potential outcomes. It links both the external world and internal states with the possible outcome of choices.
What is the main function of the Anterior Cingulate cortex?
It helps us learn from our mistakes through error-related negativity.
What is error related negativity?
An EEG signal that happens 200ms after the subject makes a mistake.
What does the Anterior Cingulate Cortex receive input from?
Perception, attention, emotion, and memory systems.
What does the Anterior Cingulate Cortex output to?
Control centers that regulate connections between sensory input and behavioural output such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
What does the Anterior Cingulate Cortex measure?
The ACC measures and tracks the values of outcomes of actions and the counterfactual outcome values (what would have happened if I had done this instead of that.)
What engages the Anterior Cingulate Cortex?
Outcomes that are salient (unexpected, suprising, useful, new, or related to pain). Outcomes that lead to rapid changes in behaviour.
How does the anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex work together to change behavior.
The ACC tracks the need to change behavior and the DLPFC inplements the changes.
What can increased levels of activity in the anterior cingulate cortex cuase?
OCD. Increased sensitivity to stimuli other people might ignore. Feelings of self doubt and failures of self control.
What is the purpose of the anterior insula?
Stores representation of basic body states such as hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, itch, fatigue, and heart rate. This is called interoception. These sensations are unconcious but play an important role in decision making.
