Lecture 12: Cognitive control

Question 1

What is the main function of cognitive control?

Answer 1

Cognitive control enables the brain to choose between multiple possible actions in response to environmental input, directing behavior toward specific goals.

Question 2

What is the difference between habits and goal-directed actions?

Answer 2

Habits: Triggered automatically by stimuli, independent of goals.

Goal-directed actions: Require knowledge of the relationship between actions and outcomes and are influenced by goals or rewards.

Question 3

What are the two prefrontal control systems?

Answer 3

Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and Frontal Pole: For goal-directed behavior, including working memory and goal initiation.

Medial PFC (including ACC): For conflict monitoring, such as error detection and response conflict resolution

Question 4

What is the role of the lateral PFC in cognitive control?

Answer 4

Maintains goals in working memory, filters information, initiates or inhibits behaviors based on goals, and plans complex actions.

Question 5

What is the role of the medial PFC, including the ACC, in cognitive control?

Answer 5

Monitors progress toward goals, detects errors, responds to negative feedback, and manages surprise or response conflict.

Question 6

Cognitive Control Deficits After PFC Lesions

What are the effects of PFC lesions on cognitive control?

Answer 6

Patients exhibit:

Perseveration: Continuing incorrect responses.
Apathy: Lack of motivation.
Impulsivity: Acting without thought.
Difficulty in decision-making, planning, understanding consequences, and following rules.

Question 7

What is environmental dependency syndrome?

Answer 7

A condition where patients’ actions are controlled by external stimuli rather than internal goals, leading to imitation and utilization behavior.

Question 8

What is dynamic filtering in the lateral PFC?

Answer 8

Dynamic filtering is the selection of task-relevant information and suppression of irrelevant information based on current goals.

Question 9

What evidence supports the role of the lateral PFC in attentional selection?

Answer 9

ERP studies show reduced ability to suppress irrelevant stimuli (P100).

Repetitive TMS to the PFC reduces attentional modulation of relevant information.

Question 10

How does lateral PFC modulate posterior cortex activity?

Answer 10

The lateral PFC enhances category-specific neural activity for task-relevant stimuli while suppressing task-irrelevant information.

Question 11

What is the stop-signal task, and what does it measure?

Answer 11

The stop-signal task requires participants to inhibit a response when a stop signal is presented. It measures the ability to suppress prepotent responses.

Question 12

Which brain regions are involved in the stop-signal task?

Answer 12

The right inferior frontal gyrus initiates stopping, and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in the basal ganglia executes it.

Question 13

How does the lateral PFC support goal-directed behavior?

Answer 13

By organizing multiple subgoals into a hierarchical structure, anticipating consequences, and coordinating complex actions.

Question 14

What does the posterior-to-anterior gradient in the PFC represent?

Answer 14

A hierarchy where posterior regions handle simple actions, and anterior regions process complex and abstract goals.

Question 15

What evidence supports the PFC’s action hierarchy?
.

Answer 15

fMRI studies show posterior PFC activity for simple motor tasks and anterior activity for more abstract and complex tasks

Question 16

What is the conflict monitoring hypothesis of the ACC?

Answer 16

The ACC detects and resolves conflicts between competing response options, adjusting cognitive control to achieve goals.

Question 17

How does the ACC influence the lateral PFC during conflict monitoring?

Answer 17

The ACC sends signals to the lateral PFC to adjust goal-related activity after detecting errors or response conflicts.

Question 18

What neural activity is observed in the ACC during the Stroop task?

Answer 18

Incongruent trials evoke greater ACC activity, which correlates with slower response times and increased lateral PFC activation on subsequent trials.

Question 19

How does the posterior-to-anterior gradient in the ACC align with conflict control?

Answer 19

Posterior regions manage motor conflicts, middle regions handle response options, and anterior regions oversee response strategies.

Question 20

What does fMRI reveal about error detection in the ACC?

Answer 20

Activity in the ACC decreases as errors become predictable, reflecting its role in surprise and conflict resolution rather than error detection alone.

Question 21

How do the lateral and medial PFC interact for cognitive control?

Answer 21

The medial PFC monitors for conflict and errors, while the lateral PFC adjusts task-related goals and attention dynamically.

Question 22

How does the PFC interact with the posterior cortex in task selection?

Answer 22

The PFC dynamically enhances relevant posterior cortical activity while suppressing irrelevant information.

Question 23

What happens to attentional selection after lateral PFC damage?

Answer 23

Patients exhibit reduced ability to suppress irrelevant stimuli, leading to impaired cognitive control.

Question 24

What is the action hierarchy model, and how does it relate to PFC function?

Answer 24

The action hierarchy model explains how the PFC organizes and executes a series of subgoals to achieve complex tasks.

Question 25

What are common deficits in patients with PFC lesions?

Answer 25

Impaired planning, poor inhibition, perseveration, and difficulty adapting to new rules or environments.