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Exam3Lec2Limbic&ExecutiveSys Flashcards

1
Q

What regions does the limbic system include?

A

Forebrain areas surrounding the thalamus (traditionally regarded as critical for emotion)

Cortical and Subcortical regions (hippocampus + amygdala)

note that the limbic system is expanded to the hypothal, olfactory system, etc

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2
Q

PET and fMRI studies also suggest that what structures are connected to the limbic system?

A

Frontal and temporal lobes

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3
Q

What are key structures of the limbic system?

A
  1. Hippocampus
  2. Amygdala
  3. Hypothalamus
  4. Prefrontal cortex
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4
Q

What are 6 functions of the limbic system?

A
  1. Pavlovian learning or classical conditioning
  2. Spatial and temporal learning
  3. Learning and emotional stimuli
  4. Affective state
  5. Responding to stress
  6. Vigilance/attention
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5
Q

What’s another name for the Hippocampus?

what other names refer to the hippocampus

A
  • Medial Temporal lobe (sits inside and wraps around the inside of the temp lobe)
  • Post, pero,entero-rhinal

posterior to the optic chiasm

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6
Q

What is so special about the hippocampus having layers?

A

It increases the surface area and gives it a simple circuit b/c it serves as an amplifier for when we learn something for it to become a permanent memory.

amplifies info to learn and store new memories

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7
Q

What structures serve as short-term memory storage for declarative memory?

A

Hippocamous and related structures

declarative learning is memory that you can put into words
For any kind of declarative learning, it comes thru the hippocampus and then gets stores in the cortical region where it was 1st processed.

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8
Q

What is the long term storage for declarative info?

A

A variety of cortical sites: wernicke’s, termporal cortex

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9
Q

What is non-declarative memory?

A

Memory that cannot be put into words such as motor learning (muscle memory) and biasis/ prejudices.

short term site are unknown but long term storage can include cerebellum, basal ganglia, premotor cortex, etc

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10
Q

What is the purpose of the hippocampus-cortical interactions?

A

Amplify information and store it back to where it came from to make an memory

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11
Q

If you injure the hippocampus, can you make new memories?

A

NO, you can’t, but you can remember things prior to your injury

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12
Q

What is the purpose of the LTP (long term potentation)?

A

Strenghtening certain circuits in the brain to make a memory. The hippocmapus allows us to strengthen the synaptic connection in a specific part of your neural network.

strenghtening of synapses

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13
Q

Where is the amygdala located?

A

Anterior to the hippocampus

repsonds to phremones weakly

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14
Q

What is the circuit of emotion and learning and mediates negative emotion

A

The amygdala

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15
Q

What inhibits the amygdala?

A

The orbital and medial prefrontal cortex

someone with depression looses control from the PFC onto the amyg, so amyg runs wild with neg emotion. A person with depresison has low pre-frontal activity and high amy activity

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16
Q

What two structures are involved in memory and feelings?

A
  1. Amygdala dependent associative learning (emotional component)
  2. Hippocampal-dependent explicit memory (actual context of learning)
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17
Q

Judgement of trustworthiness has to do with what structure?

A

Amygdala: the amy is highly active for negative emotion whether you are paying attention to a stimuli or not (conscious of it or not)

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18
Q

For affective disroders, what do you see changes in?

A

See changes in the circuit b/w the amy and the prefrontal cortex and some hypothalamus

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19
Q

What is the major output pathway of the limbic system?

A

The hypothalamus

mediates fight/flight, drives the reward system, and sends connections out for facial recognition

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20
Q

What are some examples of autonomic targets for the hypothal?

A

Fight or flight responses such as nose and eye dilating, sick to stomach, sweating , etc

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21
Q

With a lesion POSTERIOR to the hypothalamus, what happens to the connection b/w the brainstem and body and is sham rage lost or intact?

A

Connection b/w brainstem and body is lost and sham rage is LOST

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22
Q

With a lesion THROUGH the hypothalamus, what happens to the connection b/w the brainstem and body and is sham rage lost or intact?

A

Connection b/w brainstem and body is intact and sham rage is INTACT

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23
Q

What was concluded with the sham rage experiment?

A

Hypothalamus is what mediates fight or flight and ANY aggressive response

proves hypothal is the relay station

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24
Q

What are the cortical areas of the limbic cortex?

A

Insular/cingulate cortex , pre-frontal cortex, right temporal cortex

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25
What is the fxn of the cortical areas of the limbic cortex?
Provides executive control, but also process emotions. Localization is strongest for the emotion of disgust.
26
When is the Insular cortex is strongly activated?
During the exposure to stimuli perceived as **disgusting** ## Footnote also the primary taste cortex
27
The insular cortex (insula) also plays a role with what type of stimuli?
It reacts to frightening stimuli and active in drug addiction, so it its not completely dedicated to disgust ## Footnote plays a role for craving drugs
28
Is limbic damage unilateral or bilateral? Explain this concept
Unilateral * The right hemi is more responsive to emotional stimuli than the left ## Footnote unilateral damage leads to problems in the ability to identify emotions of others
29
If you were to damage your left and right temporal cortex in the lymbic system, what problems can occur with each one respectively.
If you damage left temp cortex: you lose the ability to know who you are (provides factual info/ID info) If you damage right temp cortex: you lose ability to identify emotions of others (provides emotional info)
30
What does asymmetrical smiles imply?
You have stronger emotional output from right side of the brain, so your smile is more higher on the left.
31
What does the prefrontal cortex combine in order to create personality?
1. Experience 2. Emotion 3. Motivation 4. Mood ## Footnote personality disorders stems from problems with frontal cortex
32
# differences in frontal cortex activity relate to personality Generally, people with greater activity in the right hemi have what type of personality?
Happier, more out-going, friendlier
33
# differences in frontal cortex activity relate to personality Generally, people with greater activity in the left hemi have what type of personality?
Socially withdrawn, less satisfied with life, prone to unpleasant emotions
34
What does damage to the prefrontal cortex impair?
Impairs decision making, so it leads to impulsive decision making w/o considering consequences ## Footnote stems from a failure to anticipate unpleasantness of an outcome
35
What control emotional smiles? What controls forced smiles?
Limbic system controls emotional (real) smiles Motor cortex controls volitional (forced) smiles
36
With ** voluntary facial motor paresis** due to a lesion from the **descending pyramidal and extrapyramidal projections** from motor cortex and brainstem, what occurs with a (A)voluntary smile and (B) response to humor
(A) voluntary smile (pyramidal volational/forced smile): smile is abnormal (B) response to humor (duchenne-emotional/real): smile is intact ## Footnote natural smile is intact because the limbic system is in intact
37
With **emotional facial paresis** due to a lesion from the **descending extrapyramidal** projections from medial forebrain and hypothal, what occurs with a (A)voluntary smile and (B) response to humor
(A) voluntary smile (pyramidal-volational/forced smile): smile is intact (B) response to humor (duchenne-emotional/real) : smile is abnormal ## Footnote natural smile is abnormal because the limbic system is not intact
38
Briefly explain the Limbic loop
1. Dopamine generated in Substantia nigra and is released from the ventral tegmental area 2. Synapses on Nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum) 3. Nuclues accumebens in activated and reward system is generated
39
What is the function of the limbic loop and where do we see abnormal activation of this loop?
Function: motor and reward behavior Abnormal activation in OCD | a lot of dopamine is released ## Footnote changes in circuit leads to obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior
40
Why do we emote? | why do we have emotions?
1. Preparation of body by an autonomic response 2. Behavioral flexibility 3. Provides drive or motivation to respond 4. Social/emotional cues to interact w/ each other 5. Social bonding/communication 6. Cognitive evaluation of stimuli and judgments 7. Memory storage for specific events 8. Persitannt motivation/direction w/o a specific stimulus 9. Recall of specific memories
41
What is the James-Lange theory and what 2 predictions did it lead to?
The autonomic arousal and skeletal action occurs first in an emotion. The emotion that is felt is the label that we give the arousal of organs and muscle * People with a weak autonomic or skeletal response should feel less emotion * Incr one's response should enhance an emotion ## Footnote bottom-up process: that body responds to stimulus and then the brain is labeling that response w/a specific emotion
42
What 3 mixed evidence was discovered that counteracts the James-Lange theory?
1. Paralyzed people reported feeling emotion as prior to their injury 2. People with autonomic failure (no fight/flight response) still report feeling emotion but less intensely 3. Incr physiologocal arousal incr attraction to potential mates 4. Indiv w/ Moebius syndrome still feel strong emotions ## Footnote emotional respone is a behavioral response
43
What is Mobius syndrome and what does it imply about emotion?
It is a condition where their emotional output is attenuated so they arent able to generate normal facial expression/body language but they still feel intense emotions. This implies that peripheral responses might enhance our emotions, especially how we interpret out emotions. But emotion is starting from a cognitive point and it becomes a feedback cycle
44
What key things does executive objectives identify?
Key differences between male and female brains Key brain areas that process: emotion, memory, language, drug abuse and reward ## Footnote describes the main fxns of each cortical lobes association area
45
# cortical lobes Fxn of Frontal Lobe
* Movement * Complex behaviors: personality, working memory, spontaenous behavior * Produduction of Speech (broccas)
46
# cortical lobes Fxn of Parietal lobe
* Somatosensory perception * Some Visual and acoustic fxn: attention * Perception of space
47
# Cortical lobes Fxn of Occipital and Temporal Lobe
Occipital lobe: Vison Temporal lobe: * hearing * some vision, memory, personality, social behavior * comprehending spoken words
48
What does an "association area" mean?
Essential for mental fxns that are more complex than detecting basic dimensions of sensory stimulation, for which primary sensory areas appear to be necesarry ## Footnote basically a higher order brain area in frontal, parietalm and temporal cortices that integrates lots of diff info
49
Whaat structues can association areas connect to?
1. Thalamic nuclei 2. Mediodorsal 3. Lateroposterior 4. Pulvinar 5. Ventral ant/ventral lateral ## Footnote it can get inout from all over and it associates diff things and makes 1 big picture so we can decide how to respond to stimuli
50
Which lobe is strongly involved in attention control?
Right parietal lobe
51
If you have have a left parietal lobe lesion, what can occur?
You are generally fine because the right parietal lobe is doing all visual space so it compensates | minimal right neglect ## Footnote left parietal lobe plays a minimal role in attention for rvf, its done by right parietal lobe
52
If you have a right parietal lobe lesion, what can occur?
You have severe left neglect. Not good b/c you can only attend to 1/2 of visual space and can't recognize the other half Ex: drawing half a clock ## Footnote parietal damge creates hemispatial neglect: ignoring half of visial and proprioceptive space
53
Partial bilateral lesion of both parietal lobes, what can occur?
Severe right neglect ## Footnote bc you damaged right parietal, it only gets from right, since that is lost, you neglect the right
54
What area of the temproal area is involved in recognition?
Fusiform face gyrus ## Footnote strong activation in the presence of stimulus which resembles a face
55
What is prosopagnosia?
damage to fusiform face gyrus causes Face blindness: can't identify yourself or others through facial recognition
56
Although memories are stored by the hippocampus, which structure is involved in working memory?
Prefrontal cortex (frontal lobe): provides a rehearsal loop to keep info active during processing and manipulation ## Footnote Ex: someone tells you a phone # w/o having somewhere to write it down and you say it over and over again in your head
57
Different regions of which structure works together to produce personality and is responsible for behavioral control?
Pre-frontal cortex (frontal lobe) ## Footnote for behavioral control, as you age, your pre-frontal cortex is maturing/developing. Full development occurs in your 20s
58
# language areas What is wernicke's area and broca's area?
* Wernicke's area: comprehension (understanding language)-temporal lobe * Broca's area: production of speech-frontal lobe ## Footnote if you had a lesion to broca's you can understand what is being said to you but you can't respond
59
What is the fxn of the left and right hemisphere in language?
Left hemisphere: grammar/syntax rules Rigth hemisphere: emotional inntonation ## Footnote left: analysis of right visual field, writing speech, **lexical and syntatic lang**. rightL analysis of left visual field, **emotional coloring of lang=PROSODY**, spatial abiities, singing, humming
60
In an expirement In Trial 1 you passively viewed the word "table" In Trial 2 , you solely listened to the word "table" What areas of the brain are strongly activated in each trial?
Trial 1: visial cortex Trial 2: audition cortex
61
In an expirement In Trial 3 you solely spoke the word "table" In Trial 4 , you had to generate a word associated with the word "table" What areas of the brain are strongly activated in each trial?
Trial 3: Recognition processing and motor processing in brocas areas to actually say it Trial 4: Requires cognitive processing, incorporating temporal and frontal lobe circuit
62
The limbic system also mediates sexual behavior, mention how each structure below plays a role 1. Amygdala (medial nucleus) 2. Medial preoptic/sexually dimporphic 3. Ventromedial & Periaqueductal grau 4. Pineal 5. Pituitary
1. Amygdala (medial nucleus): pheromones 2. Medial preoptic/sexually dimporphic: male sexual behavior 3. Ventromedial & Periaqueductal gray: femal sexual behavior 4. Pineal: sexual development 5. Pituitary: hormone control
63
What is the relationship between gender and neural activity?
You see greater similarities in brain activity/ares between everyone that attracted to females/males. (HeM and HoW/ HeW and HoM) ## Footnote two aspects to sexuality: sex and gender
64
How does differences in sex hormones plays a role in learning?
We have differences in the number of estrogen and testosterone receptors leading to different levls of brain derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus. This changes the way we learn. ## Footnote This is why womean is better at spatial reasoning and men is better at linear reasoning tasks

Neurosciences (28 decks)

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