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Nervous System (Semester 5) > 9.1 Higher Brain Functions > Flashcards

9.1 Higher Brain Functions Flashcards

1
Q

What is the function of Broca’s area and where is it located?

A

Formulation of language components and sends information to motor cortex (motor function)

Located in the frontal lobe

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2
Q

What is the function of Wernicke’s area and where is it located?

A

Responsible for interpretation of written and spoken words (language comprehension)

Located in the temporal lobe

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3
Q

Define cognition

A

Ability to attend to an external stimuli or internal motivation, identify its significance and make a meaningful response

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4
Q

Give 3 functions of cortical association areas

A

1) Responsible for the complex processing
2) Arrival of input -> generation of behaviour
3) Cognition

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5
Q

Give 4 functions of the prefrontal cortex

A

1) Learning, memory & planning
2) Personality: appreciation of self in the world that allows actions to be planned andexecuted
3) Procedural memory: problem solving and planning
4) Working memory: Telephone number, directions (held in the mind for immediate need)

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6
Q

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

A

Involved in attention and perceptual awareness

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7
Q

Is attention right or left hemispehere dominant?

A

Right

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8
Q

What may be seen in a person with a right hemishphere problem?

Include the specific syndrome

A

Inattention or neglect of other half of body ‘contralateral neglect syndrome’. Patient will be inable to attend to objects, or their own body in a portion of space, despite intact visual acuity.

Eg. Difficulty performing tasks relating to left hand side such as dressing

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9
Q

What is a right hemisphere problem specifically associated with?

A

Damage to right parietal cortex- unequal distribution of cognitive function between hemispheres

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10
Q

What is the function of the Temporal lobe?

A

Recognition and identification of complex stimuli

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11
Q

List 2 things that may be seen in a patient with damage to the Temporal lobe?

A

1) Difficulty recognising, identifying and naming objects = agnosias
2) Acknowledge the stimulus but cannot say what it is

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12
Q

Compare damage to the RIGHT vs LEFT inferior temporal cortex

A

Inferior RIGHT ➞ patient can describe a familiar face but not recognise the person, prosopagnosia (acknowledge the stimulus but cannot say what it is)

Inferior LEFT ➞ patient has poor recall of verbal and visual content e.g music recognition

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13
Q

If a patient has impaired long term memory what structure is most likley damaged?

A

hippocampus

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14
Q

What are the main functions of the LEFT hemisphere?

A

1) Processes logical tasks/analytical
2) Language: spoken/heard, written/read, gestured/seen
3) Maths
4) Motor skills (handedness)

Hence, the left hemisphere processes information in sequence e.g. language

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15
Q

What are the main functions of the RIGHT hemisphere?

A

1) Processes non-verbal tasks/ spatial relationships mental imagery
2) Emotion of language
3) Music/art
4) Visuospatial
5) Body awareness

Hence, the right hemisphere looks at the whole picture. e.g., spatial awareness

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16
Q

Give some generalised features of a person who is right vs left sided brain dominant

A
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17
Q

Define Lateralization

A

Tendency for some neural functions/cognitive processes to be specialised to one side of the brain

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18
Q

Give 3 key examples of laterlization

A

1) Parietal lobes – attention
2) Temporal lobes – recognition
3) Language centres

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19
Q

Describe laterlization of function in terms of the image below

A

1) On the image, stare at the noses of the two faces.
2) Decide which face seems to you to be happier
3) From your vision lectures we know that the left side of the image is transferred (first) to the right side of you brain and vice versa
4) The right side of most peoples brain is specialised for face processing and emotions
5) Hence, most people say that B is the happier, since the upturned mouth on that side seems more cheerful and it is this side of the image which is first presented to the right hemisphere

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20
Q

What are the 2 main language centres in the brain and what connects these?

A

Broca’s area and Wernickies area connected by subcortical white matter tracts known as the arcuate faciculus

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21
Q

State what damage would be associated with damage to:

1) Broca’s area
2) Wernickies area
3) Arcuate Faciculus

A
22
Q

Language is localized and lateralized, in which hemisphere and lobe is it typically dominant?

A

Left frontal and temporal cortices

23
Q

Define dysphasia (aphasia)

A

A disruption in the comprehension and/or generation of language

24
Q

What are the two important areas for language and how are these connected?

A

Wernicke’s and Broca’s area connected by subcortical white matter tracts known as the arcuate fasciculus

25
Q

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

List 4 examples of what may be seen

A

Loss of receptive/sensory processing, patient is usually unaware and hence unaffected

Examples:

  1. Language expression is normal but comprehension and repetition impaired
  2. Language produced but it lacks meaning and contains paraphrasic errors and neologisms
  3. Written language similarly incoherent
  4. Unable to follow spoken or written commands
26
Q

What is Broca’s aphasia?

List 2 examples of what may be seen

A

Patient will have expressive, non-fluent speech, they are typically aware and frustrated by it

Examples

  1. Paucity of spontaneous speech, telegraphic and minimal
  2. Can follow instructions as long as no need to verbalise ‘close your eyes’
27
Q

What structure is damaged in conductive aphasia?

What functions are affected in the patient?

A

Damage to Arcuate fasciculus

Patients repetition impaired but comprehension and expression intact

28
Q

What is global aphasia?

A

Combines features of Broca’s and Wernicke’s

29
Q

A Speech disorder is known as what?

What is the exact problem?

A

Dysarthria: inability to correctly use muscles to verbalise

Tricky to distinguish but spares written and verbal comprehension and written expression

30
Q

What features does the right hemisphere ‘add’ to speech?

A

Adds ‘colour’ to speech Eg. tone, stress, rhythm

31
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

A complex set of deep-cortical structures that deal with emotions, memory and arousal

Involved in high levels of processing sensory information and output to homeostasis planning of behaviours and motor responses

‘attaches a behavioural significance and response to a stimulus’

32
Q

What 3 main structures make up the limbic system and describe each

List 2 additional structures

A

1) Hypothalamus: homeostasis, ANS, endocrine, hunger
2) Hippocampus: short term memory, emotion, spatial navigation
3) Amygdala: emotions, fear and aggression

Extra:

Cingulate gyrus: wraps around the corpus callosum

Parahippocampal gyrus: medial temporal lobe

33
Q

What is the location of the limbic system?

A

Found either side of the thalamus, underneath the cerebrum

34
Q

Define Learning

A

The way new information is acquired by the CNS and is observable through changes in behaviour

35
Q

Define memory

A

Ability to register (encode), store and retrieve information

36
Q

What type of injury may impair our memory?

A

Impaired by diffuse cerebral injury or temporal lobe disease

37
Q

Give 6 types of memory with examples?

A

1) Motor and non-motor
2) Declarative and non declarative
3) Working– current, problemsolving
4) Explicit– events and factual knowledge
5) Working memory–material maintained in consciousness
6) Long-term memory–stored unconsciously

38
Q

Compare Declarative and non-declarative memory

A

Declarative: available to conciousness (history, words and their meaning)

Non-declarative: generally not available to conciousness (motor skills, puzzle solving, associations)

39
Q

What are the timelines for:

  • Immediate memory
  • Working memory
  • Long-term memory
A

Immediate memory: fraction of a second- seconds

Working memory: seconds to minutes

Long-term memory: days to years

40
Q

Define working memory and in which part of the brain is it controlled

A

Ability to hold something in the mind for seconds to minutes

Limited capacity to store items/chunks of information in conscious memory before it rapidly disappears when attention diverted E.g. digit span

Controlled in the Pre-frontal cortex and temporal cortex

41
Q

Can working memory vary amoung individuals and why?

A

Yes, it depends on the context, personal experiences and higher executive functions

E.g. chess players, card players, jnr doctors on ward rounds

42
Q

Define long term memory and in which part of the brain is it controlled?

A

Storage of potentially unlimited capacity

Controlled by the hippocampus, amygdala, mammillary bodies, thalamus and prefrontal cortex

43
Q

How can long term memory be divided and brifely describe each

A

1) Explicit–memories that are accessible to consciousness

  • Episodic: autobiographical content
  • Semantic: facts

2) Implicit– memories not consciously accessible–typically motor memory

  • Motor skills – riding a bike
  • Conditioning – Pavlovian responses
  • Priming – name a city
44
Q

Give 2 conditions ECT may be used to treat and explain the idea behind this type of treatment

A

Korsakoff syndrome and dementias

Sends an electrical current through temporal or frontal lobe. This aims to induce a massive seizure, to create an amnesia. Overall, the goal of this is to wipe out memories to reset brain.

45
Q

Why is ‘forgetting’ essential?

A

‘buffers’ useless information from our brains to avoid overcrowding/ distractions

46
Q

Define Amnesia?

Give 3 instances where this may occur

A

Inability to learn new information or to retrieve information already acquired

Head trauma, toxins, dementia may all result in Amnesia

47
Q

What are the two types of amnesia?

A

1) Anterograde amnesia

  • Laying down of new memories
  • Temporal lobe dependent

2) Retrograde amnesia

  • Retrieval of preformed, established memories
  • More diverse throughout cerebral cortex
48
Q

Memory is stored where?

A

Hippocampus which then transfers information to overlying cortex

49
Q

What is Transient global amnesia?

A

Temporary and reversible disruption of short term memory accompanied by repetitive questioning. Patient’s usually wake and don’t recall the preceding 24-48hrs

No neurological deficit other than anterograde amnesia

50
Q

What would investigations about transient global amnesia show?

How would you treat?

A

All investigations are normal

Treatment is supportive only

51
Q

Is Transient global amnesia more common in males or females?

Give 4 possible causes

A

Usually aged >50 years & M > F

Causes: Idiopathic, minor head trauma, sexual intercourse, heavy exercise, brief shock

Nervous System (Semester 5) (21 decks)

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