Cognition (Anderson)

Question 1

an approach to cognitive neuroscience that aims to establish relationships between particular patterns of behavior and circumscribed areas of brain damage. main limitation of this?

Answer 1

the lesion method; main limitation = depends on postmortem study

Question 2

without having access to the brain, this person emphasized that unconscious processes are critical, and that early emotional experiences can have lasting consequences

Answer 2

sigmund freud (1856-1939)

Question 3

without having access to the brain, this person demonstrated the importance of carefully
controlling stimulus presentation and monitoring behavioral responses

Answer 3

b.f. skinner (1904-1990)

Question 4

True or false: one advantage of CT over MRI is that it provides better resolution without radiation.

Answer 4

False - MRI has better resolution without radiation

Question 5

True or false: fMRI can only determine if an area of the brain is involved in a task, not if that area is necessary for the task (as in the lesion method)

Answer 5

True

Question 6

Continued advances in this type of technology and analysis include tissue segmentation (gray matter, white matter, CSF) and automated volumetric analyses

Answer 6

structural MRI

Question 7

this method of evaluating what matter integrity relies on the principle that diffiusion is greater along the axis of a white matter fiber tracts than it is perpendicular to them

Answer 7

diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

Question 8

advantages of this technique are that it allows for study of the the brain while cognition is happening, it allows for study of normal brains and it involves no radiation

Answer 8

fMRI

Question 9

what are the drawbacks of fMRI?

Answer 9

1. does not directly meausure neural activity (only hemodynamic response)
2. signal is weak
3. does not reveal if an area is necessary for a task
4. scanning environment is highly constrained for meaningful behavior

Question 10

this brain function test is noninvasive and provides excellent temporal resolution, but offers limited spatial resolution

Answer 10

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Question 11

brain function test that involves radioactive tracers injected into the bloodstream that allow imaging of metabolic activity (using labeled glucose), which is decreased in
Alzheimer’s. (Other tracers bind with amyloid.)

Answer 11

PET (positron emission tomography)

Question 12

brain function test that records magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain; more precise than EEG and has excellent temporal resolution but localization is not ideal

Answer 12

MEG (magnetoencephalogram)

Question 13

brain function test that involves an electric coil held above the scalp, which uses rapidly changing magnetic fields to induce small electrical changes in the brain, to temporarily deactivate (“lesion”) or stimulate an area; drawbacks include limited localization and unclear interpretation

Answer 13

TMS (transcranial magentic stimulation)

Question 14

traumatic brain injuries and ruptures of the anterior communicating artery are common causes for what type of brain damage?

Answer 14

ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Question 15

restricted affect, lack of concern, diminished motivation, and poor organization/planning are all symptoms of a “silent stroke” in what part of the brain?

Answer 15

right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Question 16

a stroke in this part of the brain would cause aphasia, depression, and hemiparesis of the dominant hand, while preserving social functioning, insight and and judgment

Answer 16

left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Question 17

True or false: impairments of executive function are often present following PFC damage.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

patients with damage to the medial superior prefrontal cortex exhibit aphasia and akinesia (a lack of motivation to move/interact with the environment, with only a few automatic movements). this is a condition known as what?

Answer 18

akinetic mutism

Question 19

states that a VMPFC deficit reflects failure to evoke past feeling states needed to bias the decision-making process toward or away from particular options, resulting in social conduct disturbance (aka “acquire sociopathy”)

Answer 19

somatic marker hypothesis

Question 20

True or false: people with VMPFC damage display impairments in conventional intellectual functioning, social knowledge, working memory and attention/concentration

Answer 20

False

Question 21

damage to this region of the brain results in intellectual deficits and inability to form working memory (ie, problem-solving capacity in a time-limited window)

Answer 21

dorsolateral PFC

Question 22

this region of the frontal lobe is comprised of a set of structures that are critical for the initiation of movement and emotional expression

Answer 22

superior medial PFC