Attention and Memory

Question 1

How is arousal defined in relation to attention?

Answer 1

General state of wakefulness and responsivity

Question 2

How is vigilance defined in relation to attention?

Answer 2

capacity to maintain attention over prolonged periods of time

Question 3

How is divided attention defined?

Answer 3

ability to response to more than one task at a time

Question 4

How is selective attention defined?

Answer 4

ability to focus on one stimulus whilst suppressing competing stimuli

Question 5

What may be the results of a breakdown in domain specific attention such as following a non-dominant hemisphere stroke?

Answer 5

Visual inattention
Sensory inattention
neglect

Question 6

What structures are involved in cortical top down modulation of attention?

Answer 6

Prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, limbic system

Question 7

What structures make up the limbic system?

Answer 7

Cingulate gyrus
hippocampus (formic, amygdala, orbital and pre-frontal cortex)
mamillary bodies

Question 8

Top down modulation of attention is a conscious process. T/F?

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Bottom up modulation of attention is a conscious process. T/F?

Answer 9

False

Question 10

What is top down modulation of attention?

Answer 10

A conscious process where particular features can be selected and acted upon

Question 11

The ascending reticular activating system is involved in bottom up modulation of attention. What structures does this comprise?

Answer 11

brainstem nuclei
thalamic nuclei
cortex

Question 12

What is bottom up regulation of attention?

Answer 12

Unconscious modulation such as reacting to a stimuli

Question 13

How can attention be assessed at the beside?

Answer 13

Serial 7s
digit span and digits backwards
months of the year in reverse order

Question 14

What further specialist tests may be done by a neuropsychologist to assess attention?

Answer 14

Strrop test
alternation tasks
star cancellation test

Question 15

Working memory is a facet of attention and concentration. T/F?

Answer 15

True

Question 16

In which area of the brain is spatial information processed as part of working memory?

Answer 16

The non-dominant parieto-occipital lobe

Question 17

In which area of the brain are words, numbers and melodies processed in working memory?

Answer 17

The dominant perisylvian language areas

Question 18

What are the two sub groups of explicit memory?

Answer 18

Episodic and semantic

Question 19

What are the two subgroups of implicit memory?

Answer 19

Motor skills

classical conditioning

Question 20

Explicit memory is available to conscious access. T/F?

Answer 20

True

Question 21

The circuit fo Papez is part fo the limbic system and is particularly involved in what type of memory?

Answer 21

Episodic memory

Question 22

What is episodic memory?

Answer 22

Personally experienced with temporally specific episodes or events
(what we typically think of as memory)

Question 23

What structures are involved in the circuit of papez in episodic memory?

Answer 23

medial temporal lobe
hippocampus
entorhinal cortex
mamillary bodies
thalamic nuclei

Question 24

Give examples of acute impairment of episodic memory?

Answer 24

Transient global ischaemia

transient epileptic amnesia

Question 25

How can episodic memory be tested?

Answer 25

Recall of complex verbal information
word list learning
recognition of newly encountered words and faces
recall of geometric figures

Question 26

What is semantic memory?

Answer 26

Memory of factual information and vocabulary independent of context, time and personal relevance

Question 27

Semantic memory is dependent on the limbic system. T/F?

Answer 27

False

Question 28

Different aspects of semantic memory are stored in different areas of the temporal lobe. T/F?

Answer 28

True - visual and complex information is stored ventrally whereas basic object memory is stored posteriorly and non-visual information is stored dorsolaterally

Question 29

How can semantic memory be tested?

Answer 29

General knowledge, vocabulary, object naming to confrontation, person-based taels, fluency

Question 30

Profound amnesia can occur without affecting the implicit memory. T/F?

Answer 30

True

Question 31

What structures in the brain are involved in implicit memory?

Answer 31

Basal ganglia

Cerebellum