Week 10-12

Question 1

The reticular activating system is located at the _____ and is associated with _____

Answer 1

• Brainstem

- Arousal

Question 2

The superior colliculus is associated with _____ and _____

Answer 2

• Eye movements

- Attention shifting

Question 3

The pulvinar is part of the _____ and is associated with _____

Answer 3

• Thalamus

- Attentional engagement

Question 4

The anterior cingulate cortex is active during _____

Answer 4

Stroop tasks

Question 5

What is the executive control area for attentional processing?

Answer 5

The frontal cortex

Question 6

What are attention’s critical brain areas?

Answer 6

• Reticular activating system
• Superior colliculus
• Pulvinar (thalamus)
• Anterior cingulate cortex
• Parietal cortex
• Frontal cortex

Question 7

What neurotransmitters are associated with attention?

Answer 7

• Dopamine: alerting when focused
• Norepinephrine: alerting when focused
• Serotonin: alerting when unfocused

Question 8

What is the evolutionary “older part” of the brain and what makes it different??

Answer 8

• The subcortex

- Processing is more involuntary/reflexive

Question 9

What is inhibition of return?

Answer 9

If a cue is presented in one location and then another, it takes longer to detect a target presented at the first cue location than elsewhere

Question 10

What is a potential explanation of inhibition of return?

Answer 10

The brain marks place we’ve already looked for a cue at

Question 11

The _____ may play a role in inhibition of return

Answer 11

Superior colliculus

Question 12

Progressive supranuclear palsy affects _____, which causes ______

Answer 12

• The superior colliculus

- early stages: vertical eye movement/attention shifts affected first -> less IOR

Question 13

What type of deficiency can inhibit IOR?

Answer 13

Thiamine

Question 14

The thalamus is the gateway between ____ and ____

Answer 14

• the subcortex

- the cortex

Question 15

A stimulus is contralateral if ______

Answer 15

It appears on the opposite side of its associated brain region

Question 16

TPJ lesion patients see more disruption from ___ cues, while subcortical damage patients see more disruption from _____ cues

Answer 16

• Direct

- Symbolic

Question 17

Subcortical mechanisms mediate _____ attention, while cortical mechanisms mediate _____ attention

Answer 17

• stimulus-driven (involuntary)

- goal-driven (voluntary)

Question 18

The superior parietal lobule is associated with ____

Answer 18

Task switching

Question 19

What is a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task?

Answer 19

Participants monitor a rapid stream of stimuli until they see a target, after which they perform a task (eg task switch)

Question 20

What is a typical rapid serial auditory presentation task?

Answer 20

Participants hear a rapid auditory stream of stimuli and told to monitor only the one that sounds like it’s coming from the centre for a target

Question 21

What are the three attentional networks, and which one do we know the most about?

Answer 21

• Alerting, orienting, executive

- Orienting

Question 22

Who proposed the first orienting network, and what was it called?

Answer 22

• Maurizio Corbetta

- Frontoparietal orienting network

Question 23

How does the dorsal orienting network work?

Answer 23

Stimuli go to the contralateral part of the FTF, then signals go to the IPS, then to visual/auditory/somatosensory areas

Question 24

What is the ventral orienting network, and which hemisphere does it occur in?

Answer 24

• The TPJ gets input from both the VPC and sensory areas, and can interrupt signals of the dorsal network through the IPS
• Right

Question 25

_____ and _____ are better than _____ and ______ at all attention tasks except for ______

Answer 25

- 10-year olds and young adults - 5-year-olds and elderly adults - Visual search with a pop-out target and attention shifting

Question 26

All age groups experience _____

Answer 26

Inhibition of return

Question 27

What is the last-in/first-out principle?

Answer 27

- Stimulus-driven (sensory-based) attentional processes are the first to develop and the last to deteriorate - Goal-driven (cognitive) attentional processes are the last to develop and the first to deteriorate

Question 28

Executive attentional deficits are associated with _____

Answer 28

- Frontal cortical dysfunction | - Accidents/injuries

Question 29

Spatial attentional deficits are associated with _______ and are primarily caused by ______

Answer 29

- Parietal cortical dysfunction | - Strokes

Question 30

Concussions are ____ traumatic brain injuries and make up _____ of brain injuries

Answer 30

- mild | - 85%

Question 31

What are the early signs of a concussion?

Answer 31

- Headache - Confusion/disorientation - amnesia - nausea/vomiting - motor problems/incoordination

Question 32

What part of the axon can get damaged with a concussion?

Answer 32

Microtubules, myelin, ion channels (ion channelopathy)

Question 33

Concussion can be associated with damage to ______

Answer 33

White matter

Question 34

What is the best brain imaging method to perform after a person has a concussion?

Answer 34

Diffusion tensor imaging

Question 35

Other than neurons, what can be damaged from a concussion?

Answer 35

- Glial cells - Vasculature - Blood-brain barrier

Question 36

Brain activity immediately after a concussion is ______ and is ______ after

Answer 36

- Lower than normal | - Higher than normal

Question 37

When is chronic traumatic encephalopathy?

Answer 37

A progressive neurodegenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head trauma

Question 38

What might cause ADD?

Answer 38

- Suppressed frontal lobe activity - Disruption of attentional filtering by thalamus - Disruption of right hemisphere function - Underproduction of certain neurotransmitters

Question 39

What is anopia?

Answer 39

A lack of vision

Question 40

What is hemianopia?

Answer 40

A lack of vision in one side of the visual field

Question 41

What is blindsight?

Answer 41

A person is not aware of objects in one side of the visual field

Question 42

Blindsight is a(n) _____ deficit

Answer 42

Sensory

Question 43

People with blindsight can tell when an object in their blind field are ____

Answer 43

Moving

Question 44

The older visual pathway comes from the _____ and goes from the eyes to the _____

Answer 44

- Rods | - Brainstem

Question 45

People with blindsight have damage to the ____ visual pathway

Answer 45

Newer

Question 46

Spatial-neglect hemianopia is a(n) _____ deficit

Answer 46

attentional

Question 47

What is the term for when a person is not aware of one side of their visual field at all?

Answer 47

anosognosia

Question 48

People with ____ make compensatory head movements, while those with ____ do not

Answer 48

- Blindsight | - Neglect

Question 49

Neglect is usually caused by ____

Answer 49

Stroke

Question 50

An ischemic stroke is caused by _____

Answer 50

Plaque breaking off and blood clotting in a narrowed brain artery

Question 51

Neglect is caused by stroke damage to the ____

Answer 51

Parietal cortex

Question 52

What is somatoparaphrenia?

Answer 52

Spatial neglect on the left side of their body

Question 53

What is extinction?

Answer 53

When a person is only aware of one side of their visual field if there is nothing in the other side

Question 54

Why does neglect occur?

Answer 54

- right hemisphere, which has been lesioned, has dominance over attentional control - dynamic hemisphere imbalance (dominance goes to left hemisphere)

Question 55

_____ releives spatial neglect temporarily

Answer 55

Caloric stimulation (ice-cold water in left ear)

Question 56

___ can influence neglect

Answer 56

TMS on left hemisphere

Question 57

What is simultagnosia?

Answer 57

A person can recognize a single object but not multiple at the same time

Question 58

Attentional dyslexia is a result of _____

Answer 58

Stroke damage to the left hemisphere

Question 59

What is attentional dyslexia?

Answer 59

When a person can read words but not single letters within the word