chapter 14: the parietal lobe and networks

Question 1

What is the general main function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 1

Processing, integrating, communicating sensory information.

Question 2

What is the anatomical name of the primary sensory cortex (S1)?

Answer 2

The postcentral gyrus.

Question 3

What three major areas do S1 project to?

Answer 3

Secondary somatosensory areas, motor planning areas and motor control areas in frontal lobe.

Question 4

What functions do Areas PE and PF serve?

Answer 4

Receiving somatosensory input and projecting to motor areas.

PE, aka BA 5, (S2) receives sensory input, projects to motor areas (BA 4, 6, 8) providing info on limb position.

PF, aka BA 7, receives sensory input, projects to motor areas

Question 5

What does area PG do?

Answer 5

Integrates sensory information with cognitive input from cingulate to control spatially guided behaviour.

Question 6

What three pathways make up the dorsal stream?

Answer 6

Parieto-premotor pathway, parieto-prefrontal pathway, parieto-medial-temporal pathway.

Question 7

Which pathway in the dorsal stream is the primary ‘how’ pathway of motor control?

Answer 7

The parieto-premotor pathway.

Question 8

Which dorsal stream pathway in involved in working memory for visuospatial objects?

Answer 8

The parieto-prefrontal pathway.

Question 9

Which dorsal stream pathway projects to the hippocampus, is important for spatial recognition and navigation?

Answer 9

The parieto-medial-temporal pathway.

Question 10

The posterior parietal cortex is imoprtant for __________ behaviours, more ventral regions involved in __________ function.

Answer 10

visuospatial, perceptual.

Question 11

The anterior parietal regions process __________ information, the posterior regions integrate __________ and __________ information.

Answer 11

sensory, somatosensory and visual.

Question 12

Parietal lobe is involved in creating __________ __________ of world to enable subconscious interaction with surroundings.

Answer 12

multisensory map.

Question 13

__________ lobe seems to encode information about how objects relate to each other.

Answer 13

Temporal.

Question 14

For movement guidance, representation must be __________-oriented, for object recognition, must be __________-oriented.

Answer 14

viewer, object.

Question 15

Which area is responsible for integration of movement intention with sensory feedback about intended movement?

Answer 15

Area PRR.

Question 16

What brain area is responsible for internal map and route knowledge?

Answer 16

Medial parietal region (precuneus area).

Question 17

Describe the two different spatial frames of reference.

Answer 17

Egocentric frame: organized in relation to the viewer
Allocentric frame: organized in relation to viewed object

Question 18

Damage to which brain area can lead to high sensory thresholds, impaired proprioception, impaired stereognosis?

Answer 18

Postcentral gyrus (primary somatosensory cortex).

Question 19

What is astereognosis?

Answer 19

Loss of ability to identify objects by touch.

Question 20

What is simultaneous extinction?

Answer 20

Inability to recognize more than one object at once when presented with both; can result from S2 damage.

Question 21

What is numb touch?

Answer 21

Loss of sensation from region but retention of ability to accurately report where they were touched in that region.

Somatosensory equivalent of blindsight.

Question 22

What is asomatognosia?

Answer 22

Asomatognosia: Loss of knowledge/awareness about own body or condition.

Question 23

tight parietal strokes often result in __________ __________ neglect.

Answer 23

left hemispatial.

Question 24

Contralateral neglect is often comorbid with what agnosia?

Answer 24

Simultagnosia.

Question 25

Describe ideomotor and construction apraxia.

Answer 25

Idomotor apraxia: Inability to copy movements made by others

Construction apraxia: Issues with spatial organization, inability to assemble puzzles, draw pictures, copy facial movements

Question 26

The visuomotor guidance system belongs to which stream passing through parietal lobe?

Answer 26

Dorsal.

Question 27

Left-parietal damage may impair __________ of mental images, right-parietal damage may impair __________.

Answer 27

formation, manipulation.

Question 28

Describe the somatosensory threshold test.

Answer 28

Blindfolded subject reports feeling one or two touches and points are progressively brought together.

Question 29

Which areas are involved in which functions in the tactile form recognition test?

Answer 29

Areas PE and PF involved in shape manipulation, PG in drawing.

Question 30

Describe the common contralateral neglect test covered in class.

Answer 30

Subject draws vertical line to bisect. Contralateral neglect results in line shifted to the right.

Question 31

Which brain area affects ability to perform visual perception test (completing drawings)?

Answer 31

Right temporoparietal junction.

Question 32

Which brain areas affect ability to perform spatial relation test (knowing right/left body part relations)?

Answer 32

Left parietal, left frontal.