Functional anatomy of attention and memory Flashcards
Define what is meant by attention
Attention is the mind being able to take possession/control of one out of several simultaneous possible tests/trains of thought that are calling for our resources
list the 2 types of cognitive processes that come under attention and comment on how they differ
global and domain specific
Global = a global cognitive process that encompasses multiple sensory modalities (being able to switch between different sensory inputs)
Domain-specific = attention that relates to a specific sensory modality
list and describe the various subtypes of attention
- Arousal: a general state of wakefulness and responsivity
- Vigilance: capacity to maintain attention over prolonged periods of time
- Divided attention: ability to respond to more than one task at once (e.g. driving and talking to someone)
- Selective attention: ability to focus on one stimulus while suppressing competing stimuli (blocking out background noise whilst studying)
give 2 examples of domain-specific cognitive processes
spatial awareness
visual awareness
what effect would a breakdown of global attention have and how would this affect the subtypes of attention?
Would cause delirium/acute confusional state (with memory impairments)
effect on subtypes of attention:
• Impaired arousal: ‘drowsiness’
• Impaired vigilance: ‘impersistence’
• Impaired divided and selective attention: ‘distractible’
what is the most common disturbance of mental state seen by doctors?
delirium
what effect would a breakdown of domain-specific attention have
visual inattention
sensory inattention
neglect (ignoring one side of visual field)
what are the 3 major systems involved in the functional anatomy of attention ?
Top-down attentional modulation (being able to switch between different sensory inpit)
bottom-up attentional competition
arousal mechanisms
what would impair attentional functioning ?
hyperarousal (e.g. pain or fear) - when in pain or fear our amygdala down regulates attention encases some stimuli are more important than others.
if someone has impaired attention, how will there arousal be affected?
Someone with impaired attention will not necessarily have impaired arousal
if someone has impaired arousal, how will there attention be affected?
Someone with impaired arousal will also have impaired attention
what are the stages of memory formation after receiving a sensory input?
sensory memory (unattended info is lost) –if pay attention–> short term memory (unrehearsed info is lost) –encoding–> long term memory (some info may be lost over time if not used)
what does working memory involve?
active maintenance and manipulation of information in short term storage
how many elements/digits can someone usually hold in short term memory?
7 +/- 2
out of the features of working memory, what is the role of the visuospatial sketchpad?
allows us to visualise or imagine visual information
out of the features of working memory, what is the role of the phonological loop?
allows us to process what we hear (auditory information)
out of the features of working/short term memory, what is the role of the episodic buffer?
relays/brings in info from our long term memory when we need it
what effect would the removal of the hippocampus have on memory?
still maintain an understanding of language and can improve well on intelligence tests
–> Lose the ability to consolidate (transfer info from short term to long term memory)
what are the subgroup classifications that come under long term memory?
explicit (declarative) and implicit (procedural)
explicit = episodic + semantic
implicit = motor skills + classic conditioning
describe episodic memory
Memory of Personally experienced, temporally specific episodes/events (available to conscious access and reflection)
what anatomical structures are involved in episodic memory ?
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, interacts with structures in extended limbic system.
Extended limbic system (circuit of Papez):
• In the Medial temporal lobe - hippocampus and entorhinal cortex
• In the Diencephalon - mammillary bodies and thalamic nuclei
mention the acute deficits of episodic memory impairment
Pure amnesia: Transient global amnesia + Transient epileptic amnesia (just memory loss)
Mixed deficit: Delirium (loss of memory AND attention)
mention the chronic deficits of episodic memory impairment
Pure amnesia: hippocampal damage + diencephalic damage
Mixed deficit: dementia (loss of memory AND attention)
describe semantic memory
memory of factual information and vocabulary (not dependant on limbic structures)
what anatomical regions are involved in semantic memory network?
anterior temporal lobe.
Anterior temporal cortex (ATC) and angular gyrus (AG) integrate incoming information
what is meant by category-specific semantic memory?
info is stored in different places depending on what it is
what may result due to anterior temporal cortical destruction or atrophy?
herpes simplex encephalitis
trauma, tumours
Alzheimer’s dementia
semantic dementia
describe implicit (procedural memory), what anatomical structures does it involve?
memory of motor skills we have acquired to perform tasks which cannot be explained to others
basal ganglia and cerebellum
