5b: Brain & Behaviour

Question 1

What are the 4 stages of memory process?

Answer 1

Registration (input from senses)
Encoding (processing + combining)
Storage
Retrieval

Question 2

What are the types of long term memory?

Answer 2

• Episodic (medial temporal lobe - hippocampus + mamillary bodies) = STORIES
• Semantic = knowledge of the world
• Priming = previous memory/association affecting the perception of new stimulus
• Conditioning = involuntary
• Procedural = Tasks (riding a bike)
• Non-associative learning = change in strength of response to a stimulus due to repeated exposure

Question 3

Give strategies for enhancing memory

Answer 3

• Giving important info. at the start/end of consultation
• Emphasise/REPEAT important info
• Chunk info into categories
• Avoid overloading with info
• Make the person know that what you’re saying is important

Question 4

What are the main brain regions associated with language?

Answer 4

Left = Verbal information processing (i.e. LANGUAGE)
Right = Non-verbal information

Question 5

What are the main types of aphasia?

Answer 5

Broca’s aphasia = non-fluent
Can understand well but can’t produce fluent sentences
Lesions in frontal left hemisphere

Wernicke’s aphasia = fluent meaningless speech
Can’t understand speech
Lesions in posterior part of temporal lobe

Question 6

Describe common characteristics of the dysexecutive syndrome

Answer 6

Disruption of executive function = FRONTAL lobe lesion

Emotional/behavioural characteristics:

• Hyper/hypoactivity
• Impulsive
• Reduced empathy
• Socially inappropriate
• Rude
• Emotional bluntness/dysregulation

Cognitive characteristics:

• Attention + working memory difficulties
• Poor planning & organisation
• Difficulty coping with novel situations and unstructured tasks
• Difficulty switching from task to task
• Difficulty multitasking
• Difficulty with complex/abstract thinking