Week 4: Chapter 16 - The Frontal Lobe

Question 1

What role do the frontal lobes play in behaviour regulation?

Answer 1

They regulate behaviour according to time and place, relying on sensory input and memory-related information.

Question 2

What percentage of the neocortex is occupied by the frontal lobes?

Answer 2

Approximately 30–35% of the neocortex.

Question 3

What are the four primary regions of the frontal cortex?

Answer 3

Primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex.

Question 4

What is the function of the primary motor cortex?

Answer 4

It produces basic voluntary movements and sends descending projections to motor centres.

Question 5

Where is the premotor cortex located and what is its function?

Answer 5

Just anterior to the primary motor cortex; it supports movement planning, selection, and preparation.

Question 6

What are mirror neurons and where are they found?

Answer 6

Specialized cells in the ventral premotor cortex that enable understanding and imitation of actions.

Question 7

How do premotor areas influence movement?

Answer 7

Directly via spinal projections and indirectly by modulating the primary motor cortex.

Question 8

What functions are associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC)?

Answer 8

Executive functions including planning, decision-making, attention, inhibition, and emotional regulation.

Question 9

What distinguishes the PFC in terms of connectivity?

Answer 9

It connects with the thalamus, limbic system, and dopaminergic systems.

Question 10

What are the functional subdivisions of the PFC?

Answer 10

Dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and ventromedial regions.

Question 11

What is the role of the dorsolateral PFC?

Answer 11

Supports working memory, reasoning, and goal-directed behaviour.

Question 12

What inputs does the orbitofrontal PFC receive and what is its role?

Answer 12

Receives multisensory inputs and is involved in emotion processing and autonomic regulation.

Question 13

What is the ventromedial PFC involved in?

Answer 13

Emotion-driven decision-making and internal state monitoring.

Question 14

What functions does the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) support?

Answer 14

Conflict monitoring, error detection, action motivation, and affect regulation.

Question 15

Which networks are the frontal lobes central to, according to connectome research?

Answer 15

Default network and salience network.

Question 16

What is the default network associated with?

Answer 16

Autobiographical memory, future planning, and mind-wandering.

Question 17

What is the salience network responsible for?

Answer 17

Activating behavioural shifts and modulating other networks.

Question 18

What happens if the salience network is disrupted?

Answer 18

It can lead to excessive default network activity, attentional lapses, and cognitive instability.

Question 19

Which area is implicated in mood-related circuits?

Answer 19

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Question 20

What is linked to abnormal activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex?

Answer 20

Mood disorders such as depression.

Question 21

What cognitive ability is central to frontal-lobe function?

Answer 21

Temporal organization of behaviour in response to internal goals and external demands.

Question 22

What difficulties do people with frontal-lobe damage experience?

Answer 22

Struggle with action selection, ignoring distractions, and tracking sequences—indicating impaired goal-directed control.

Question 23

What role does the premotor cortex play?

Answer 23

Bridges perception and action, selecting movements based on environmental cues.

Question 24

How is the supplementary motor area (SMA) functionally distinct?

Answer 24

Contributes to internally generated movements like spontaneous exploration.

Question 25

What is the role of frontal eye fields?

Answer 25

Support gaze shifts, with distinct regions for stimulus-driven and internally guided eye movements.

Question 26

What did Per Roland’s research reveal about motor sequence control?

Answer 26

Internally paced sequences activate the SMA; externally cued movements engage the premotor cortex.

Question 27

How does the prefrontal cortex regulate behaviour?

Answer 27

Selects actions based on internal and external cues, ensuring contextually appropriate responses.

Question 28

What is temporal memory and which prefrontal region is involved?

Answer 28

A working memory form tracking event order; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved.

Question 29

What happens when temporal memory is impaired?

Answer 29

Behaviour becomes stimulus-bound and goal tracking suffers.

Question 30

What role does the orbitofrontal cortex play in behaviour?

Answer 30

Supports associative learning and using reinforcement history to guide decisions.

Question 31

What is the effect of orbitofrontal cortex damage?

Answer 31

Disorganized decision-making and inability to use rewards for behavioural guidance.

Question 32

Why is context important in behaviour regulation?

Answer 32

Behaviour must adapt to social norms and environmental conditions, processed via prefrontal input from the temporal lobe and amygdala.

Question 33

What deficits can result from damage to context-processing areas?

Answer 33

Inappropriate social behaviour, poor judgment, and reduced self-insight.

Question 34

What is autonoetic awareness?

Answer 34

A self-reflective awareness integrating past, present, and future for meaningful behaviour.

Question 35

Which areas support autonoetic awareness and what happens if damaged?

Answer 35

Medial and ventral prefrontal regions; damage disrupts self-identity and social function.

Question 36

How does frontal-lobe function exhibit hemispheric asymmetry?

Answer 36

Left frontal lobe is more involved in language, right in nonverbal actions.

Question 37

What evidence supports bilateral integration in frontal-lobe function?

Answer 37

Bifrontal lesions impair complex tasks more than unilateral lesions.

Question 38

What memory roles are associated with left and right prefrontal cortices?

Answer 38

Left is involved in encoding new info; right in memory retrieval.

Question 39

What hypothesis explains frontal-lobe specialization?

Answer 39

Cognitive demands increased specialization due to limited cortical space.

Question 40

What does research by Shallice and Burgess suggest about frontal-lobe organization?

Answer 40

There is substantial heterogeneity—different regions support distinct cognitive tasks.

Question 41

What conclusions follow from frontal-lobe heterogeneity?

Answer 41

Symptoms vary by lesion location, and different networks underlie specific behaviours.

Question 42

What are the five principal symptom categories of frontal-lobe lesions?

Answer 42

Motor function, divergent thinking, environmental control of behaviour, temporal memory, and social/sexual behaviour.

Question 43

What motor impairments result from frontal-lobe damage?

Answer 43

Loss of fine movements, reduced speed/strength, movement sequencing errors, and disrupted eye movements.

Question 44

How does frontal damage affect voluntary gaze?

Answer 44

Disrupts visual scanning and fixations due to frontal eye field damage.

Question 45

What is corollary discharge and how is it affected by frontal-lobe lesions?

Answer 45

It's the prediction of movement's sensory effects; damage disrupts sensory stability during motion.

Question 46

What speech deficits are linked to frontal-lobe damage?

Answer 46

Agrammatism and mutism from damage to Broca’s area and supplementary speech area.

Question 47

How is divergent thinking affected by frontal-lobe lesions?

Answer 47

Impaired ability to generate novel ideas and flexible problem-solving.

Question 48

What is behavioural spontaneity and how is it impaired?

Answer 48

Spontaneous action/speech generation is reduced; patients show low output and perseveration.

Question 49

What role does the frontal lobe play in strategy formation?

Answer 49

Essential for formulating strategies in novel situations and integrating variables on the fly.

Question 50

What is response inhibition and how is it tested?

Answer 50

Inhibiting prepotent responses, tested with the Wisconsin Card Sorting and Stroop Tests.

Question 51

What behavioural tendencies are seen in risk-taking tasks with frontal damage?

Answer 51

Rule-breaking, impulsivity, and failure to avoid risky options.

Question 52

How does frontal-lobe damage affect self-regulation?

Answer 52

Disrupts autonoetic awareness, impairing autobiographical memory and social function.

Question 53

What kind of associative learning is impaired by frontal damage?

Answer 53

Stimulus-response learning, especially when competing responses must be filtered.

Question 54

What is the nature of temporal memory deficits in frontal-lobe patients?

Answer 54

Difficulty remembering the order/timing of events, not general memory loss.

Question 55

Which frontal region supports spatial working memory?

Answer 55

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

Question 56

What findings did Jacobsen (1936) report in monkeys with frontal lesions?

Answer 56

Failed delayed-response test due to impaired working memory for spatial info.

Question 57

How do Milner et al. (1991) distinguish frontal vs temporal memory deficits?

Answer 57

Frontal patients fail recency judgment; temporal patients fail recognition.

Question 58

What changes occur in social and sexual behaviour after frontal damage?

Answer 58

Disinhibition, inappropriate social/sexual actions, and impaired emotional understanding.

Question 59

What are pseudodepression and pseudopsychopathy?

Answer 59

Syndromes of apathy or disinhibition associated with left or right frontal damage.

Question 60

What role does the orbitofrontal cortex play in social behaviour?

Answer 60

Supports social inhibition and interpretation of facial expressions.

Question 61

Does the frontal lobe support spatial cognition?

Answer 61

It supports short-term spatial memory and spatially guided behaviour selection.

Question 62

Which clinical tests detect frontal-lobe damage?

Answer 62

Wisconsin Card Sorting, Thurstone Word Fluency, Design Fluency, Tower of Hanoi/London.

Question 63

How are language deficits assessed in frontal damage?

Answer 63

Token Test, spelling and phonetic tasks for Broca’s and surrounding areas.

Question 64

What disorders show frontal-like symptoms?

Answer 64

Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, Korsakoff’s, addiction, and chronic stress.

Question 65

What frontal-related dysfunctions occur in schizophrenia?

Answer 65

Reduced frontal blood flow, atrophy, and impaired eye movement control.

Question 66

How does Parkinson’s disease affect the frontal lobe?

Answer 66

Through dopaminergic disruption affecting planning and flexibility.

Question 67

What frontal deficits are seen in Korsakoff’s syndrome?

Answer 67

Impairments in spatial memory and sequencing, similar to DLPFC damage.

Question 68

How does drug addiction relate to frontal dysfunction?

Answer 68

Orbitofrontal damage leads to impulsivity and poor decision-making.

Question 69

What are the effects of chronic stress on the frontal lobe?

Answer 69

Alters neuronal architecture, impairs memory and goal-directed action.