5.3 Consciousness Flashcards
where is noradrenergic neurones found in the reticular formation?
locus coeruleus
where is dopaminergic neurones found in reticular formation?
Found in the ventral tegmental area:
• Mesolimbic tract: project to regions in the prefrontal cortex
• Nigrostriatal tract: project to the thalamus
where is cholinergic neurones found in reticular formation?
Found in the reticular formation → boosts the level of activity in the activity in the cerebral cortex via the thalamus
What is the pathophysiology behind persistent vegative state?
disconnection of cortex from the brainstem or widespread cortical damage
what would be the glasgow coma scale (GCS) in a person with severe brain injury and death?
3
what would be the glasgow coma scale (GCS) in most comatose patients?
8
traumatic brain injury that is more localised to a particular part of the brain?
contusion
traumatic brain injury that has more widespread damage?
concussion
traumatic brain injury that have networks of white matter tracts are globally impaired (rather than focal damage)?
diffuse axonal injury?
which parts of the brain are neural substrates of attention?
frontoparietal networks (particularly in the right frontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, frontal eye field, posterior parietal cortex)
Visual “neglect” syndrome is where patients fail to be aware of information presented on the contralateral side following a lesion:
• Breakdown of conscious awareness after brain damage affecting the ________________
• Not due to damage of the occipital visual regions → visual pathways are often still intact → arises due to damage in the _____________________
o Visual processes cannot reach higher levels of processing → cannot reach conscious awareness
• Clinical tests of neglect: line bisection (marks the middle of what he/she is aware of), computerised test of neglect (focus on the right side of the screen)
critical frontoparietal regions (e.g. strokes affecting right hemisphere);
higher levels of the frontoparietal cortex;
what kind of processing is due to visual stimulation that is not associated with conscious awareness?
feed forward processing
what kind of processing is due to visual stimulation that is critical for conscious awareness?
top down recurrent processing
what is the wave seen in sleep (deep sleep)?
delta wave (frequency < 4 Hz)
what is the wave seen in sleep ( light sleep)?
theta wave (4-8Hz)
