College 6

Question 1

What are executive functions?

Answer 1

Executive functions refer to high-level cognitive processes that, by operating on lower-level mental processes, flexibly regulate and control our thoughts and goal-directed behavior

Question 2

What are some disorders associated with EF deficits?

Answer 2

• Traumatic brain injury
• Dementia
• Psychiatric disorders (ADHD, autism, depression, etc)

Question 3

What does the dysexecutive syndrome entail?

Answer 3

A collection of behavioural and cognitive anomalies found in frontal patients, symptoms affect for example planning, organization, abstraction, etc

Question 4

What is important to remember about the dysexecutive syndrome?

Answer 4

It describes a collection of symptoms, can be caused by several diseases

Question 5

What are common EF clusters? (6)

Answer 5

1. Response inhibition and emotional control
2. Flexibility and emotional control
3. Response inhibition, flexibility and emotional control
4. Task initiation and sustained attention (kan worden gecompenseerd als goal directed persistence een strength is)
5. Time management and planning/ prioritization
6. Working memory and organization

Question 6

What is the development of EF correlated with?

Answer 6

The development/ myelination of the PFC

Question 7

How does last in - first out principle apply to EF?

Answer 7

EF are the last to develop and the first to decline

Question 8

What is echo memory?

Answer 8

even when youre not paying attention, you can often repeat the last few words that you heard

Question 9

What is meta-cognition?

Answer 9

’ Thinking about one’s own thinking’ , ability to view, observe, and assess more basic cognitive procedures, including self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control of cognition while performing an activity

Question 10

What neural substrates within the PFC are associated with which EF? (6)

Answer 10

1. PFC: strategic processes, orchestration
2. dlPFC: planning, goal selection, set-shifting, working memory, self-monitoring
3. dl and inferior PFC: attention and cognitive/ inhibitory control
4. anterior cingulate cortex: monitoring behaviour and self-correcting errors
5. orbitofrontal cortex: risk assessment and inhibition of inappropriate behavioural responses
6. orbital and ventromedial structures: motivation and affect

Question 11

What neural substrates outside of the PFC are associated with EF? (2)

Answer 11

1. parietal cortex: more basic attentional processes
2. cerebellum: sequencing, timing, coordination

Question 12

What is the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF)?

Answer 12

a bidirectional link between the prefrontal cortex and parietal lobe, concerning the perception of visual space and the focusing of attention on different parts of space

Question 13

What are the impairments in Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome? (CCAS)

Answer 13

1. Executive functions
2. Visual- spatial abilities
3. Linguistic abilities
4. Affective disturbance

Question 14

What neurotransmitters are involved in EF?

Answer 14

1. Dopamine: set-shifting, inhibition, attention (adhd meds play into this)
2. Serotonin: general executive control and attention
3. Acetylcholine: cognitive flexibility, attention

Question 15

What are hot and cold social cognitions?

Answer 15

Hot social cognition: processes responsible for emotion perception and identification, eg emotional empathy and affective ToM
Cold social cognition: objective perspective eg cognitive empathy and cognitive ToM