Lecture 6: Neurophysiology of Higher Cognition

Question 1

Cognition requires extensive synaptic interactions between what type of cells?

Answer 1

Pyramidal

Question 2

What structures are utilized in the final common pathway for speaking?

Answer 2

Wernicke’s Area
Arcuate fasciculus
Broca’s Area

Question 3

What structures compose the mediational system for language?

Answer 3

Temporal, parietal, frontal association areas

Question 4

What is the function of the conceptional system for language?

Answer 4

Provides concepts of what you are trying to communicate

Question 5

By what age can babies recognize all sounds that might be language?

Answer 5

6 months

“language universalist”

Question 6

When learning a second language after the language acquisition phase, what region is activated?

Answer 6

Area adjacent to Broca’s area

Question 7

what is the fxn of the conceptual system

Answer 7

concepts & rules
-provide names of objects (nouns)

“what word am I looking for?”

Question 8

what age do babies begin to prune out irrelevant particular languages

Answer 8

6-9 months

Question 9

what age does babbling begin to convert to true language

Answer 9

around 1

Question 10

what is the fxn of social cognition

Answer 10

fxn in interpersonal & social situations

-recognize others emotions

Question 11

what are the two components of social cognition

Answer 11

emotional comprehension

theory of mind

Question 12

what is the basis behind emotional comprehension

Answer 12

neural circuit for recognizing emotion in others -

also involved in producing that emotion yourself

Question 13

what are the steps of percieving facial expression

Answer 13

1. recognize face as special (superior temporal sulcus & fusiform area)
2. bring in emotional component (ant cingulate cortex, amygdala & PFC)

Question 14

what facials cues do you use to recognize emotion

Answer 14

eyes, nose & mouth

controlled by amygdala - directs gaze to triangle (esp the eyes)

Question 15

Are you able to recognize emotional context if you damage the amygdala

Answer 15

no!

spend little time looking at eyes & dont methodically scan the face for recognition of emotion

Question 16

what is required for imitation of motion

Answer 16

1. ventral visual path (visual input)
2. post. mirror neuron system: motor detection
3. ant. mirror neuron system: detect goal of action

2 & 3 also imitate emotional state/behavior -intact circuit with limbic system via insula

Question 17

what is prosody

Answer 17

tuned rhythm of speech & how it contributes to meaning

ex: sound of an angry man

Question 18

what are the steps involved in prosody

Answer 18

1. primary auditory cortex - process info of pitch, loudness & speed —-> send info to—->
2. right post. sup. temporal sulcus - begin to piece together info (also get input from secondary auditory process) —>
3. frontal cortex - judge the emotion

Question 19

what is theory of mind

Answer 19

ability of understanding mental state & appreciate how they differ from you

need emotional comprehension to exist for proper fxn

Question 20

what is the core path for theory of mind

Answer 20

amygdala & connection to med. temporal lobe= memory/sensory processing

orbitofrontal cortex - sensory/emotional processing

Question 21

what is the accessory path of theory of mind

Answer 21

language scaffold used at young age

frontal lobe: executive fxn

Question 22

what is involved in decision making with explicit (known) risk

Answer 22

stimulus encoding system
= orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial PFC & striatum

-evaluate evidence to make decision

Question 23

what is involved in decision making when risk is unknown

Answer 23

action selection system: learn & encode value of results/ error detection (ant cingulate cortex)

expected reward system: predict expected reward (basal ganglia, amygdala, insular cortex, intraparietal cortex)