Neurophys. of Higher Cognition Flashcards
Cognition requires extensive interactions between ______ cells of ALL association areas of the neocortex
Pyramidal
What are the functional components of cognition?
Language Social cognition Decision making Executive functioning Memory Visuospatial perception
Main steps to speaking?
Language conceptual system
Language mediational system
Language implementation system
Spoken language
What step in the process to speaking, involves Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?
Language implementation system
What step in the process to speaking, involves the concepts that underly our language?
Language conceptual system
Babies less than 6 months old are known as
Language universalists
Babies less than 6 months old recognize?
ALL sounds that might be language as distinct sounds
At what age to babies start to recognize the specific language sounds of their native language?
6-9 months
Babies that are between 6-9 months old do what?
Drop the use of phenomes (sounds) that do NOT occur in their native language
At what age do babies completely drop all use of unneeded phenomes and turn babbling into spoken language?
Around 1 year old
1 year old babies do what?
Drop unneeded phenomes completely and begin to turn babbling into true spoken language
A 2nd language learning during language acquisition phase activates what?
The SAME pathway used to learn the 1st language
A 2nd language learning after language acquisition phase activates what?
An ADJACENT region of Broca’s area instead
What are the components to social cognition?
Emotion comprehension (recognition) AND Theory of mind
The same circuits that produce our emotion are used to RECOGNIZE emotion in others
Mirror Neuron System
Step 1 of emotion comprehension (recognition)
Perception of facial expressions requires that we identify faces as something special
What areas of the brain are involved in step 1 of emotion comprehension, such as identifying faces as something special?
Superior temporal sulcus and Fusiform gyrus (face area)
Step 2 of emotion comprehension (recognition)
Bring in the emotional component
What areas of the brain are involved in step 2 of emotion comprehension, such as bringing in the emotional component?
Amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex
What facial details cue us as to what emotion we are seeing in another person, and in what order?
- Eyes
- Nose
- Mouth
In order to recognize emotion in others, we methodically scan the “triangle” of facial features. What controls that gaze?
Amygdala
Damage to the amygdala means what for emotion comprehension (recognition)
Person will spend very little time looking at the eyes of another and does NOT methodically scan their face
What is the sequence for imitation of other people’s motions that is crucial to social cognitive skills?
Visual input
Identify motor actions
Identify goal of the action
What areas in the brain are used for the sequence of imitation of other people’s motions?
Posterior sector of superior temporal sulcus
Posterior Mirror Neuron System
Anterior Mirror Neuron System
Posterior sector of superior temporal sulcus
Provides visual input
Posterior Mirror Neuron System
Identifies motor action
Anterior Mirror Neuron System
Identifies goal of the action
The circuit for imitating others interacts with limbic structures via?
Insula
What is the sequence of the areas of the brain for perceiving prosody?
Primary auditory cortex
Right posterior superior temporal sulcus
Frontal cortex
For perception of prosody, what does the primary auditory cortex do?
Basics of sound processing, including identifying pitch, loudness, etc.
For perception of prosody, what does the right posterior superior temporal sulcus do?
Begins to piece together the MEANING of the identified sounds
For perception of prosody, what does the frontal cortex do?
Determines the judgement of the emotional stimulus
What is theory of mind?
The ability to understand the mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions) of others and to appreciate how they differ from our own
What are the required areas for theory of mind?
Amygdala, medial temporal lobes and orbitofrontal areas
What is required for theory of mind to exist?
Emotion comprehension
Decisions in which the risks are explicit and known relies on what system?
Stimulus encoding system
Components to the stimulus encoding system?
Orbitofrontal cortex
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
Striatum
What does the stimulus encoding system do?
Evaluates the evidence available in making the decision
Decisions in which the risks are unknown relies on which systems?
Expected reward system and then the action selection system
What does the expected reward system do?
Predicts expected rewards
Components of the expected reward system?
Basal ganglia
Amygdala
Insular cortex
Intraparietal cortex
What does the action selection system do?
Learns and encodes subjective value of results and is involved in error detection
Component of the action selection system?
Anterior cingulate cortex
