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Cognitive Neuroscience > M05 - Executive Control > Flashcards

M05 - Executive Control Flashcards

1
Q

What are executive functions?

A
  • modulate activity of other cognitive functions
  • regulatory role
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2
Q

Give examples of executive functions

A
  • mentally simulate opponents’ moves
  • initiate motor action
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3
Q

What are the main brain areas responsible for executive functions?

A
  • Prefrontal cortex
  • Parietal cortex region (only the posterior parietal cortex)
  • basal ganglia regions
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4
Q

What are the symptoms of prefrontal damage?

A
  • normal cognitive function
  • difficulty selecting the right action for the current context
    vague and widespread symptoms
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5
Q

What is the basic division of executive function?

A
  • Rules (guide human behavior)
  • Control (engage rules to a particular context)
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6
Q

How can you further divide executive functions, besides rules and control?

A
  • establishing and modifying rules
  • contextual control
  • working memory
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7
Q

What is the syndrome for lateral prefrontal damage?

A

Frontal dysexecutive syndrome (can’t plan future, do not start new projects, leave tasks incomplete, etc.)

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8
Q

What is the syndrome for ventral and medial prefrontal damage?

A

Frontal disinhibition syndrome (Constant unproductive movement, fail to respond to normal social cues, etc.)

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9
Q

How are rules encoded in the brain?

A

Through activity of populations of prefrontal cortex neurons.

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10
Q

What did the single-unit recording of monkeys show about the encoding of new rules in the brain?

A

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex responded as if they were selective to particular rules, independent of cues or stimuli.

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11
Q

How can you study inhibition of rules in the brain?

A

Through the oddball task (ERP, fMRI)

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12
Q

What is the oddball task?

A
  • The stimuli can be visual or auditory.
  • The participant is asked to respond whenever a rare, infrequent stimulus (the “oddball”) appears.
  • The task measures the participant’s reaction time and accuracy in detecting the oddball.
  • It also measures their ability to filter out distractions and maintain attention over time.
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13
Q

When and where can you measure the activity of an oddball task?

A
  • 300ms after the onset of the oddball stimulus
  • more activity in dorsal lateral part of the prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)
  • dlPFC → ability to inhibit rules now and again?
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14
Q

What are other examples of inhibiting test tasks?

A

go/no-go task, stop-signal task

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15
Q

What does the Wisconsin Card Sorting test test?

A

Shifting among rules

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16
Q

How does the Wisconsin Card Sorting test work?

A
  • have multiple rules and each might be relevant at a given time depending on the goal
  • task: sort the cards (using one of three attributes)
  • feedback: correct or incorrect sorting
  • participant will use trial and error to get to the currently correct rule for sorting
  • people with PFC damage continue to use previously valid rule (Perseveration)
17
Q

How do you test relating rules?

A

Progressive Matrices Test

18
Q

What is the progressive matrices test?

A
  • task: identify shape that best fits pattern
  • especially people with frontopolar cortex damage show deficit here
  • people have difficulty relating rules with each other
19
Q

How can you organize the PFC?

A

Rostro-caudal organization (aka posterior and anterior)

20
Q

What is the Posterior part of the PFC lobes responsible for?

A

simple functions (e.g. matching behavior to stimuli)

21
Q

What is the Anterior part of the PFC lobes responsible for?

A

complex functions (e.g. higher order behavioral goals)

22
Q

What are the two theories about the organization of the executive function classification?

A
  • executive function organized according to their level of temporal abstraction (short term vs long term goal)
  • executive function organized as a hierarchy (anterior regions shape behavior of posterior regions)
23
Q

What brain region is involved in monitoring the success of behavioral actions?

A

Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

24
Q

Why do we think the ACC is involved in monitoring the success of behavioral actions?

A
  • because active in conditions of high conflict
  • because it processes feedback
25
Q

Why is working memory involved in executive control?

A

In order to apply rules and keep them online you have to have them on your mind in that context aka working memory

26
Q

What are the two models of the working memory?

A
  • Baddeley model
  • Cowan model
27
Q

Describe the Baddeley model of working memory.

A
  • 3 capacity-limited memory buffers
  • control system (central executive that allocates processing recourses to memory buffers)
28
Q

Describe the Cowan model of working memory.

A

long-term memory representation can remain active state for as long as they are rehearsed

Cognitive Neuroscience (6 decks)

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