dysexecutive syndrome

Question 1

What is the role of the premotor cortex?

Answer 1

The premotor cortex is involved in planning, preparation, selection, and correction of voluntary movements.

Question 2

What is the function of the primary motor cortex?

Answer 2

The primary motor cortex is responsible for the initiation and execution of skilled complex voluntary movements (e.g., sequences).

Question 3

What are the functions of the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 3

The prefrontal cortex controls behavior and includes:

• dlPFC: planning, inhibition, switching, working memory
• vlPFC/vmPFC: emotional control/regulation
• FPC: abstract cognition

Question 4

What are some examples of executive functions mediated by the frontal lobes?

Answer 4

Examples include organizing, planning, prioritizing, monitoring performance, multi-tasking, task switching, inhibition, problem-solving, abstract thinking, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

Question 5

What is dysexecutive syndrome?

Answer 5

Dysexecutive syndrome refers to cognitive and behavioral impairments caused by frontal lobe damage, such as difficulties in planning, decision-making, and emotion regulation.

Question 6

Who was Phineas Gage and why is his case significant?

Answer 6

Phineas Gage was the first case of prefrontal cortex damage. After an accident, he exhibited drastic personality changes, including irritability, impulsivity, and poor decision-making, which helped establish the role of the prefrontal cortex in personality and behavior.

Question 7

What were the effects of Phineas Gage’s brain injury on his behavior?

Answer 7

After his injury, Gage became impulsive, rude, irritable, and was unable to hold a job, showcasing how damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex can affect personality and decision-making.

Question 8

What is utilization behavior?

Answer 8

Utilization behavior refers to the tendency to use objects inappropriately or impulsively when presented, often seen in individuals with prefrontal damage.

Question 9

What is imitation behavior?

Answer 9

Imitation behavior involves copying the gestures or behaviors of others, often inappropriately, even when explicitly instructed not to.

Question 10

What is Environmental Dependency Syndrome?

Answer 10

This syndrome involves over-reliance on environmental cues to complete tasks or achieve goals, often observed in individuals with prefrontal damage.

Question 11

What are some common executive dysfunctions?

Answer 11

These include inability to organize, plan, inhibit responses, shift focus, solve complex problems, make farsighted decisions, or respond appropriately to the context.

Question 12

What does the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) assess?

Answer 12

The WCST assesses set-shifting, rule abstraction, and flexible thinking.

Question 13

What is perseveration in the context of the WCST?

Answer 13

Perseveration is when individuals with prefrontal damage continue sorting by an incorrect rule despite being told it is wrong.

Question 14

What does the Stroop Test measure?

Answer 14

The Stroop Test measures selective attention and response inhibition.

Question 15

How do individuals with prefrontal damage perform on the Stroop Test?

Answer 15

They struggle to inhibit the automatic response of reading the word, even when instructed to name the ink color.

Question 16

2

What is the Hayling Test designed to assess?

Answer 16

The Hayling Test assesses response inhibition and strategy generation.

Question 17

How do individuals with prefrontal damage perform on the Hayling Test?

Answer 17

They struggle to inhibit automatic responses and fail to generate strategies for completing sentences with unrelated words.

Question 18

Why are ecologically valid tests important in assessing executive functions?

Answer 18

Ecologically valid tests simulate real-world tasks, requiring multi-tasking and planning, providing a better prediction of how individuals function outside the lab.

Question 19

What is the Multiple Errands Test (MET) used to assess?

Answer 19

The MET assesses planning, strategy thinking, and problem-solving in real-world situations.

Question 20

How does the Multiple Errands Test (MET) work?

Answer 20

Participants must perform a series of tasks in a shopping precinct, while following specific rules, such as spending as little money and time as possible and not revisiting shops.

Question 21

What are some errors individuals with prefrontal damage make in the MET?

Answer 21

Errors include going out of bounds, failing to keep track of money, and abandoning tasks before completion.

Question 22

What is the Supervisory Attentional System (SAS)?

Answer 22

The SAS is a controlled mechanism that guides behavior and decision-making, helping to plan, troubleshoot, and inhibit habitual responses.

Question 23

How do problems with the SAS result in executive dysfunction?

Answer 23

Dysfunction in the SAS leads to perseveration, distractibility, and difficulties with task shifting, inhibition, and generating new strategies.

Question 24

What does the Somatic Marker Hypothesis propose?

Answer 24

The hypothesis suggests that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex uses emotional signals (somatic markers) to guide decision-making by linking situations with past emotional experiences.

Question 25

How is the Iowa Gambling Task used to test decision-making?

Answer 25

In the Iowa Gambling Task, participants must choose cards from decks with different reward/punishment schedules. People with prefrontal damage fail to learn to avoid risky decks with high punishments.

Question 26

How do individuals with prefrontal damage perform on the Iowa Gambling Task?

Answer 26

They do not learn to avoid the bad decks (A and B) and fail to activate the somatic markers that would normally guide their decisions.

Question 27

What is the fundamental deficit in the case of EVR (Elliot)?

Answer 27

EVR’s fundamental deficit was in decision-making, despite having normal IQ and performance on traditional tests of executive function.

Question 28

What does dysexecutive syndrome suggest about frontal lobe function?

Answer 28

Dysexecutive syndrome indicates that the prefrontal cortex is crucial for executive functions, and damage to this area leads to significant problems in behavior, cognition, and decision-making.