Chapter 8 - Frontal Lobes Flashcards
Anatomy of the frontal lobes
- 13 different areas
- 3rd of the cortex is devoted to the frontal lobe
Frontal lobe function, what do tests measure?
- sequencing
- abstract reasoning
- spontaneous behavior
Common test for frontal lobe dysfunction
- controlled oral word association test - name words that start w/ a specific letter
- wisconsin card sorting test - sort cards based on an unknown set of rules based on trial and error
Tower of London and Tower of Hanoi
- standardized frontal lobe test
- London - sort beads in a set # of moves in a set amount of time
- Hanoi - sort rings in order of size w/n a set amount of time and moves
6 elements test
- nonstandardized
- name events
- give pt set of arithmetic ?s, a set of objects to name, etc
Precentral/motor symptoms of frontal lobe injury
- have trouble copying motor movement
- trouble copying facial expressions, ID objs by touch and switching btwn hand and finger movement
- trouble planning and organizing motor movements and behaviors
Sensory/perceptual symptoms of frontal lobe injury
- deficit in taste and smell, resulting in deficit in flavor
Prefrontal/cognitive symptoms of frontal lobe injury
- spontaneous behavior - lethargic, don’t take initiative
- planning/strategy formation - lack of goal oriented behavior, plans are vague
- attention - easily distractible
- utilization behavior - use of objects to complete tasks or based on body language
Prefrontal/memory symptoms of frontal lobe injury
- encoding and retrieval of memory deficit
- implicit and explicit (important in frontal lobe) memory deficit
- working memory deficit (verbal if L, spatial if R)
What are the two types of encoding?
- deep - requires more thought, involves prefrontal areas, EX: how a word makes you feel
- involves frontal lobe - shallow - requires less thought, EX: determining if letters are in order
Broca’s area
- L frontal lobe
- production of speech
Broca’s aphasia
- nonfluent aphasia
- understand/comprehend speech, but have trouble w/ producing it
- struggle w/ getting words out (tip of the tongue phenomenon), able to produce telegraphic speech more
What cortex is important for personality and social behavior?
orbital
Social behavior and personality deficits as a result of frontal lobe damage
- lack of behavioral and sexual inhibition (childish, impulsive, irritability, public exposure, etc.)
- lack of interest in things, lethargic (pseudo-depression)
- lack of insight and awareness
- lack of social graces/manners
- repetitive behavior if left on their own
- easily persuaded
Phineas Gage
- tamping iron through L frontal cortex
- EX of behavior and personality deficits as a result of frontal lobe damage
Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis
- attempts to explain the role in the frontal cortex in emotion and social behavior
- learning what you’re doing wrong through punishment and how to inhibit wrong behaviors
Norman and Shallice’s supervisory attentional system
- specifies how thought and action schemata become activated or suppressed for routine and non-routine circumstances
Rolls’ theory of orbito-frontal function
- orbital cortex is involved in processing of taste and olfaction
- establishes the reward value for secondary reinforcers