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PS1060 - Intro to Biological Psychology > 9. Motor System > Flashcards

9. Motor System Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 8 methods of studying actions?

A

Behavioural, Musclephysiology, Neurophysiology, Neuroimaging, Neuropsychology, TMS, Computational modelling and event-related potentials

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2
Q

Describe the method of studying actions through behavioural studies

A

Use of video or electronic recording equipment to record the position of body parts in space and time (can measure speed, accuracy and kinematics)

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3
Q

What are the strengths of behavioural studies?

A

Allows us to systematically investigate the output of the action system

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4
Q

What are the weaknesses of behavioural studies?

A

Cannot tell us anything about the brain

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5
Q

Describe the method of muscle physiology (electromyography) to study actions

A

Can record activity of individual muscles or muscle fibres during action

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6
Q

What are the strengths of muscle physiology?

A

Allows an understanding of how muscles operate

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7
Q

What are the weaknesses of muscle physiology?

A

Does not directly tell us anything about the brain

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8
Q

Describe how neurophysiology can be used to study actions

A

Implants electrodes in brain and records the activity of individual neurons, can take a record of a number of neurons and measure their activity in real time

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9
Q

What are the strengths of neurophysiology?

A

Allows for excellent spatial and temporal resolution

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10
Q

What are the weaknesses of neurophysiology?

A

Cannot examine more than a minuscule percentage of the neurons at any one time
We rely on monkey’s for this research and can only draw inferences from this

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11
Q

Describe the technique of neuroimaging (fMRI) to study actions?

A

Put a subject in a brain scanner and measure blood flow while they perform a task
More blood flow = more brain activity (as working neurons require more energy for brain activity)

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12
Q

What are the strengths of neuroimaging?

A

Allows for a direct measure of activity in the human brain

Has good spatial and fairly good temporal resolution

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13
Q

What are the weaknesses of neuroimaging?

A

Many APs take less than 2-4 seconds (blood does not flow instantaneously to active neurons)
Hard to make many movements in a scanner environment

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14
Q

Describe the method of neuropsychology to study actions

A

Examine the consequence of brain damage in humans or animals, if damage is linked to behavioural deficits, then we can infer that area is necessary for that function

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15
Q

What are the strengths of neuropsychology?

A

Allows us to examine the consequences of brain damage and can be used to show which areas are most important for which functions

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16
Q

What are the weaknesses of neuropsychology?

A

Cannot place lesions wherever we want

Lesions often have effects on neurons far from the lesion site

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17
Q

Describe the process of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to study actions?

A

Temporarily disrupt brain activity using a high-powered magnetic coil

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18
Q

What are the strengths of TMS?

A

More ethical

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19
Q

What are the weaknesses of TMS?

A

Not all areas can be tested
Must be very careful not to cause seizures
Can’t test deeper areas of the brain as the magnetic field cannot penetrate that far

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20
Q

Describe the process of computational modelling in terms of studying actions

A

Devise mathematical models of how actions might be carried out by a set of neurons

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21
Q

What are the strengths of computational modelling?

A

Approaches the question of brain function from a synthetic rather than an analytical perspective

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22
Q

What are the weaknesses of computational modelling?

A

Does not address how the brain actually works

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23
Q

Describe the method of event-related potentials in studying actions

A

Record electrical activity from the scalp

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24
Q

What are the strengths of event related potentials?

A

Very good temporal resolution

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25
Q

What are the weaknesses of event-related potentials?

A

Poor spatial resolution

Can’t know exactly where the electrode is measuring as it covers a vast area of the brain

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26
Q

The unfolding of movement kinematics varies systematically with two factors, what are they?

A
  1. The characteristics of the target

2. The relation between the target and the hand

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27
Q

What information does reaching and grasping rely on (and give examples for each)?

A 
Reaching = extrinsic object properties (e.g. distance, position, velocity)
Grasping = intrinsic object properties (e.g. size, shape and weight)
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28
Q

What did Milner & Goodale (1995) argue in terms of perception and action?

A

That they rely on different parts of the brain

29
Q

Identification and localisation are known as what?

A 
Identification = what 
Localisation = where
30
Q

What does ‘perception’ involve?

A

Identifying objects on the basis of comparisons between what is seen and stored memories

31
Q

What does ‘action’ involve?

A

Moment-to-moment computations of a target’s relation to the body (e.g. is the hand big enough to pick up the object and can it get to the object in the appropriate shape)

32
Q

What are the two types of channels which receives input from the retina?

A

A fast magnocellular (M) channel relays info about motion and orientation
A slow parvocellular (P) channel relays info about form and colour

33
Q

The ventral stream largely contains what type of cells?

A

P

34
Q

The dorsal stream contains what type of cells?

A

Both M and P

35
Q

Perception should be affected by what (which is coded by which cells?)?

A

Colour and form

Coded by P cells

36
Q

Actions should be more sensitive to what things (which are coded in what cells?)?

A

Motion and orientation

Coded in M cells

37
Q

Brain activity in the ventral and dorsal stream should be associated with what?

A

Perception and action

38
Q

Contextual info should affect ___ but not ___

A

Perceptions

Actions

39
Q

Visual illusions should have ___ or ___ effects on actions

A

Small or null

40
Q

What are the positives of the perception-action model?

A

It is simple and straightforward
It accommodates a fair amount of behavioural and neurological data
It makes several predictions

41
Q

What are the negatives of the perception-action model?

A

It is too simple and too straightforward

It cannot explain the subtleties of much data (e.g. why things happen sometimes but not others)

42
Q

What are the 3 main points of the planning vs control theory of action?

A
  1. Actions involve ‘planning’ and ‘on-line control’
  2. Planning uses a motor program (a set of stored muscle commands called up from memory) to plan and initiate movement
  3. On-line control uses visual and proprioceptive feedback to guide hand in flight
43
Q

Planning tends to be slow and involves much… (planning-control model)

A

Visual/cognitive info

44
Q

On-line control is fast and relies on… (planning-control model)

A

Simple info

45
Q

What are the two features of planning?

A

Subjects to some conscious influence

Involves a medial visual stream

46
Q

What are the two features of control?

A

Immune to conscious influence

Involves the dorsal stream

47
Q

What are the 2 predictions of a planning-control model?

A

Planning will be affected by cognitive factors such as illusions and semantics
Activity related to planning and control will follow a inferior-superior gradient in the parietal lobes

48
Q

Describe the evidence for a planning-control model

A

Illusions do have larger effects early in a movement than later
Words can affect the portions of an action, but not the later portions

49
Q

Describe the evidence for which language influenced planning vs control

A

‘Large-object’ words led to a larger grip aperture early in a movement than ‘small-object’ words

50
Q

Prefrontal activity precedes an action by how much?

A

Several hundred ms

51
Q

Premotor activity precedes an action by how much?

A

200-300 ms

52
Q

Primary motor activity goes on throughout what?

A

The action

53
Q

Activity in the frontal lobes follows a caudal-rostral gradient from what to what?

A

Planning to execution

54
Q

Reaching involves the caudal part of which lobes?

A

The superior parietal lobes (known as ‘parietal reach region)

55
Q

Grasping involves which brain area?

A

The anterior intraparietal sulcus

56
Q

Eye movements involve which brain area?

A

The lateral intraparietal region

57
Q

Planning movements involves which brain areas?

A

The areas of the inferior parietal lobule

58
Q

On-line control involves areas of which lobe?

A

The superior parietal lobe

59
Q

When is the basal ganglia active during movements?

A

Before and during

60
Q

What does the cerebellum appear to be linked to?

A

Timing of actions and on-line adjustments

61
Q

The basal ganglia and cerebellum also encode what?

A

Actions

62
Q

Neurons in ventral premotor cortex appear to represent what and respond to what?

A

Actions

They respond both to the action carried out by the monkey and a similar action carried out by the experimenter

63
Q

Neurons in the superior temporal sulcus appear to code what motion?

A

Biological

64
Q

Neurons in ventral PMS appear to represent what?

A

Actions

65
Q

Neurons in the superior temporal sulcus appear to encode what?

A

Biological motion

66
Q

What does PET work by doing?

A

Intravenous injection of radioactive isotope that is taken up in the blood

67
Q

fMRI works by measuring what?

A

Blood flow

68
Q

PET studies showed what in humans (in comparison to monkey’s)?

A

Actions related to similar areas as found in monkey brain

69
Q

Why is it more complicated to compare the parietal lobes of humans vs monkey?

A

Due to evolutionary changes

PS1060 - Intro to Biological Psychology (10 decks)

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