Mini Exam #2 Flashcards
Do all individuals have the same functional connectivity at resting state?
No, there is inter-subject variability in resting-state functional activity. At resting state, different regions have greater variability whereas others have low levels of variability.
Which areas of the brain have high inter-subject variability?
The frontoparietal control (FPN) has the greatest amount of variability. It was also found that the highest variability is found in regions that are phylogenetically late-developing, and essential to complex, human-specific cognitive functions such as reasoning and language.
Which area of the brain has the lowest inter-subject variability?
The visual system.
What is the default network?
The default network, also known as the “mind-wandering network” are areas of the brain activated and engaged when we are not doing a task.
True or False: The dorsal attention system has higher variability than the ventral attention system.
False. The ventral attention system has higher inter-subject variability.
What does top-down and bottom-up refer to in regards to both the attention networks?
The dorsal attention network is top-down. This means that region is activated when we actively engage in a taste and we shift our attention consciously.
The ventral attention network is bottom-up. Bottom-up processing is automatic and works very fast.
Why is it bad to homogenize all Autistic people into one group?
Individuals with autism fall on a spectrum. The severity of their symptoms vary, and hence cannot be thought of as homogenous.
How is heterogeneity seen in those with Autism?
Autism is a multi-level phenomenon. It is diverse in many ways including differences in top-down/bottom-up processing, mRNA, biochemical mechanisms, cognition, neural circuits, etc.
What are mirror neurons?
The MNS is a set of cortical regions with common selectivity for both action execution and action observation. These neurons serve in understanding other’s actions and intentions from observation.
When is the mirror neuron network engaged?
It is engaged when we are trying to mimic or understand someone. The most basic function of this system occurs when you look at someone doing an action. As you observe, your brain mimics their brain as if YOU are doing the action.
When researchers looked at differences in the IFG (inferior frontal gyrus) between neurotypicals and those with ASD, what did they find?
In the typical brain, this area is very active during imitation of facial expressions, however, the ASD group did not exhibit IFG activity while observing/imitating facial expressions.
In order to see the activity levels, researchers looked at individual scores to compare activity, what did they find?
Individuals with a higher score had a great severity of symptoms. In addition, the higher score equated to less activity in the IFG.
On the opposing side, individuals with more IFG activity had better functioning in a social domain.
What did this research tell us?
Instead of seeing Autism as a dichotomy (autism vs. control), we now see it as a spectrum (control vs. different subgroups).
What is the definition of a disease?
Something is defined as a disease if the biomedical mechanistic cause of a disorder becomes known.
What is the definition of a disorder?
A disorder is a deviation from normal functioning (physical level) with nothing positive about the condition consistent across contexts.
What is the definition of a disability?
Below-average performance in a specific psychological/function (domain).
What is the definition of a difference?
Simply atypical (relative to the norm) with no negative impact on functioning or well being.
Which of these four categories include neurodiversity?
All four categories MAY include neurodiversity.
Disease and disorder refer to the _____ level, whereas disability takes into account the physical, personal, and societal level of the condition?
Medical.
From the four categories, which ones have potential cures, prevention, intervention, and support?
Disease, disorder, and disability.
How are “differences” treated?
They require acceptable, flexibility and inclusion.
How come society sometimes does more damage by homogenizing all four categories?
Each type of issue requires different attention, but as a society, we sometimes treat them all the same.
Is neurodiversity just Autism?
No, autism is one of the many sides to diversity.
How can individuals with neurodiversity have a competitive average?
In the past, we have often excluded neurodiverse individuals on the basis of their differences and called it “weird.” However, it is important to note that many people from neurodiverse groups have higher-than-average abilities in specific domains (pattern recognition, memory, mathematics, etc.). In order to allow neurodiverse people to leverage their skills, we have to be more accommodating and offer greater sensitivity to individual needs.
How have high-tech companies benefited from programs inclusive of neurodiverse workers?
Companies have reported benefits in productivity, innovation, quality, and engagement.
What makes up the perfect team?
Conversational turn-taking and social sensitivity were good for psychological safety.
What does psychological safety refer to?
Psychological safety is a team culture of trust and respect in which people feel safe to express ideas and take risks.
What is a key piece of information to remember about neurodiversity and inclusion?
Disabilities have less to do with individual deficits, and more to do with environmental barriers.
What does the term universal design refer to?
Designing the system, not the people. The concept of universal design is to design products and environments to be usable by all people to the greatest extent.
How can we use universal design to improve and making learning more accessible?
- Provide multiple means of engagement (affective networks: limbic, emotional value, and saliency of the learning content).
- Multiple means of presentation (recognition networks:occipito-parietal lobes, and recognizing patterns of information).
- Provide multiple means of action and expression (strategic networks: frontal lobe, planning, and generating patterns).
Instead of thinking about learning in one way, we should think of learning as ______?
a multidimensional space (both personal and social).
How are orchid/dandelion children advantageous to biodiversity and population fitness in an evolutionary view?
Dandelion - stability
Orchid - flexibility/sensitivity
How would sensitivity be advantageous?
Sensitivity to context would have served the survival and reproductive fitness of both groups and individuals within environments of evolutionary adaptedness: by fostering vigilance to threat in conditions of adversity and by more effectively garnering nurturance and support within conditions of abundance and peace.
Orchid children would be very sensitive to the environment, which would help serve as cues to others in the population.
How do traumatic brain injuries occur?
Blow to the head, or from violent movement.
Traumatic brain injuries can occur as a result of_____?
Car accidents, sports injuries, falls, and physical violence.
Do you need to have a loss of consciousness, skull fracture, or open-head wound to have a TBI?
No.
TBI’s are often compared to fingerprints, why is this the case?
No two TBI cases are alike. You can have individuals come in with similar scans, but still have very different outcomes, and require different treatment plans.
How is the severity of TBI’s ranked?
Mild, moderate, to severe depending on the initial loss of consciousness and post traumatic memory loss.
What is a mild traumatic brain injury identified as?
Loss of consciousness for less than 15 minutes. If the individual has memory loss or is dazed/disoriented, it is often called a concussion.
What is a moderate TBI identified as?
Loss of consciousness for 15 minutes to a few hours with a few days/weeks of confusion.
What is a severe TBI identified as?
Loss of consciousness for six hours or more. People who remain unconscious for a very long time may be in a coma, vegetative, or minimally conscious state.
What are some symptoms of a TBI?
Physical symptoms can include difficulty coordinating balance and walking, blurred vision, headaches, trouble speaking and swallowing, and a lack of bladder and bowel control. Trouble moving the body normally (motor impairment), seizures, vision problems, changes in sensory perception, sleep pattern problems, and changes in sexual function.
Personality changes, memory impairments, trouble communicating, depression, and disorientedness.
Mood swings, forgetfulness, problems with reasoning, problems choosing vocabulary, and may act inappropriately. Focus problems are probable too.
What does the Glasgow Coma Scale measure?
It measures the injured person’s level of alertness through verbal, eye, and motor response.
What is the range of the scale, and what do the numbers represent?
The scale ranges from 3-15. A value of 15 equates to full alertness, while a value of 3 equates to the patient being in a deep coma.
Score of 13-15 = Mild TBI.
Score of 9-12 = Moderate TBI.
Score of 1-8 = Severe TBI.
What does the Rancho Los Amigos Scale measure?
An ongoing behavioural evaluation tool used to assess the patient’s recovery after a TBI. It tracks cognitive, behavioural, and emotional changes of the patient.
Why is this test useful?
It does not require patient cooperation.
How many levels are on this scale?
10 levels based on a patient’s response to external information.
What to the levels represent?
Lower levels represent lower levels of functionality at the time of assessment.
Level 1 patients have no response to voice, sounds, light, or touch. They appear to be in a deep sleep.
Level 10 patients can handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
