clinical and non typical populations

Question 1

why is neuroimaging only correlational

Answer 1

• Neuroimaging CANNOT teach us whether THIS stimulus CAUSES THAT physiological activity
• Neuroimaging cannot teach us whether THAT physiological activity CAUSES a certain behaviour

Question 2

why do injured brains offer opportunity

Answer 2

We can link physiological differences to differences in behaviour and reasonably assume that there is a causal connection between the physiological differences & behaviour

Question 3

what are brain lesions categorised into

Answer 3

• Trauma
  
  • Stroke
    Surgical lesions

Question 4

what is a single dissociation lesion

Answer 4

The loss or impairment of a brain function can be related to a single physical difference in the brain

Question 5

what is a double dissociation lesion

Answer 5

A situation in which a single dissociation can be demonstrated in one person and the opposite type of single dissociation can be demonstrated for another person e.g. Broca’s and Wernicke’s area both language

Question 6

what is a triple dissociation lesion

Answer 6

A situation in which a single dissociation of related brain processes can be demonstrated in 3 different individuals indicating independence of subprocesses.
(extremely rare)

Question 7

what are the two types of strokes

Answer 7

Ischemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke

Question 8

what is an ischemic stroke

Answer 8

a clot blocks blood flow to an area of the brain

Question 9

what is a Haemorrhagic stroke

Answer 9

bleeding occurs inside or around brain tissue

Question 10

what is hemi spatial neglect

Answer 10

A deficit in attention to and awareness of one side of the field of vision/body, commonly contralateral to the damaged hemisphere (left more often than right)

Question 11

what are the symptoms of hemi spatial neglect

Answer 11

Inability to process and perceive stimuli on one side of the body or environment that is not due to a lack of sensation e.g. bumps into objects on neglected side, denies ownership of limb

Question 12

how does a tumour cause a brain lesion

Answer 12

• Tumour removal also results in (surgical) focal brain lesions when removed
• the lesion caused by a tumour grows slower, giving the brain time to relocate functions due to brain plasticity. While these lesions still help us understand brain-behaviour connections, the evidence is not as strong as with stroke lesions.

Question 13

what is lesioning technique for

Answer 13

• Removing part of the brain either surgically or by injection of chemical substances that locally break down tissue.
  
  • Used to treat neurological dysfunctions in humans (similar to tumor removal).
    Used to test causal role of given brain areas in certain cognitive functions in animal studies

Question 14

causes of brain injury

Answer 14

large trauma to the brain - hard to localise and quantify damage

Question 15

what is neurodegenerative disease

Answer 15

Neurodegeneration is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, which ultimately involve cell death.
cannot be cure but can be delayed

Question 16

what is Alzheimer disease caused by

Answer 16

• Caused by an abnormal buildup of proteins in and around brain cells resulting in loss of neurons and synapses
  
  • Amyloid forms plaques around brain cells
    Tau forms tangles within brain cells

Question 17

what is parkinson’s disease

Answer 17

characterized by death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain (resulting in dopamine deficiency impairing synaptic transmission relying on dopamine). The cause of this selective cell death is unknown.

Question 18

symptoms of Parkinson’s

Answer 18

• Tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, difficulty walking.
  
  • Cognitive and behavioral problems (depression, anxiety, apathy) - - dementia in the advanced stages of the disease.
  • problems with sleep and sensory systems

Question 19

what are atypical development disorders

Answer 19

A heterogeneous group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect aspects of cognition (e.g. emotion, learning ability, self-control, memory).

Question 20

name 4 atypical development disorders

Answer 20

• DLD - Developmental language disorder (formerly known as SLI- Specific Language Impairment)
  
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
  • Neurogenetic disorders, such as Down syndrome or Wilson’s syndrome
    Specific learning disorders, like dyslexia or dyscalculia.

Question 21

what does autism affect

Answer 21

Affects social development, communication (language, language acquisition), face and emotion recognition, joint attention (crucial to acquire language and social skills), sensory abilities are heightened (superior perception skills + sensory sensibilities)