HNN Week 4 Flashcards
What is ‘attention’?
A cognitive process encompassing multiple sensory modalities and operating across sensory domains
What is ‘arousal’ and what is it called if impaired?
State of wakefulness and responsitivity
Drowsiness
What is ‘vigilance’ and what is it called if impaired?
Capacity to maintain attention over long time periods
Impersistence
What is ‘divided attention’ and what is it called if impaired?
Ability to respond to more than once task at once
Distractible
What is ‘selective attention’ and what is it called if impaired?
Ability to focus on one stimulus while suppressing competing stimuli
Distractible
What is the difference between focal and global attention?
Focal attention = spatial awareness and visual functions
Global attention = a more overall function of the body
How is global attention controlled?
There are interactions between the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS and spinal pathways) and the cortex of the brain.
Knocking out of the ARAS causes drowsiness, delirium or coma.
Knocking out of the upper cortex causes inattention
What are the two broad classifications of memory?
Long term and immediate (working)
Describe immediate (working) memory:
- immediate recall of small amounts of verbal/spatial information
- controlled by dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
-> ‘visual sketch pad’ is found in the parieto-occipital lobe for spatial and visual awareness and information
-> ‘phonological store’ is in the language areas and stores short term information about words, numbers and melodies
= Wernicke’s area is in the posterior temporal lobe and receives information from the auditory and visual cortices and comprehends information.
= Wernicke’s area is attached to Brocca’s area (in the posterior inferior frontal lobe) which produces meaningful language
What can long term memory be divided into?
Implicit (procedural)
Explicit (declarative)
What is implicit memory?
memories not available to conscious reflection i.e. you can remember them without effort or awareness
- procedural memory e.g. riding a bike, typing shoe laces, playing piano
- networks involve basal ganglia and cerebellum
What is explicit memory?
memories available to conscious reflection e.g. requires effort for conscious reflection, doesn’t come easily
What can explicit memory be broken down into?
Episodic and semantic
What is episodic memory?
Having memory of EVENTS and what you have personally experienced e.g. what you ate for breakfast.
What is semantic memory?
Having memory with KNOWLEDGE of factual information e.g. what the capital of France is.
How can you test semantic memory?
- genera knowledge tests e.g. what is the name of the Prime Minister?
- fluency e.g. name as many animals as possible in 60 seconds
- test verbal knowledge e.g. what colour is a banana
- carry out person based tasks e.g. naming famous celebrities to face
How do you test episodic memory in clinical practice?
- recognition of newly encountered names/faces
- recall of geometric shapes
- recall of what you did yesterday
What is the biochemical abnormality in Alzheimer’s?
decreased cholinergic transmission
What is the limbic cortex?
- set of brain structures found on either side of the thalamus just below the cerebrum
- is not a separate system but a collection of other brain structures e.g. hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, orbital and prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, fornix and amygdala…
- involved in motivation, learning, EMOTION
- the circuit of papez is an emotion system that lies on the medial wall of the brain and links the cortex to the hypothalamus and governs the behavioural expression of emotion
What type of memory is affected in dementia and Alzheimer’s?
Semantic memory
Describe the location and function of the 4 tonsils in the head:
1) pharyngeal/adenoid tonsil: a mass of lymphatic tissue found on roof of posterior nasal cavity behind the uvula
2) palatine tonsils: in oropharynx, on either side between palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches
3) tubal tonsil: collection of lymphatic tissue around the base of the eustachian tube opening
4) lingual tonsils: collective name for many lymphoid tissue aggregates found on the posterior 1/3 of the tongue
- tonsils are lymphatic organs filled with dendrites, macrophages and other immune cells and are an important component of the immune system, for fighting infection
What are the three parts of the external ear lobe?
- helix
- pinna
- lobule
What is the composition of the external acoustic meatus?
- outer 1/3 = elastic cartilage
- inner 2/3 = bone
Describe the anatomy of the tympanic membrane:
- pars flaccida = area at the top under less tension
- pars tensa = tense area which vibrates less around the bottom
- umbo = central part where malleus attaches
- light cone at bottom corner
- malleus handle crosses the surface