Neurophysiology of Higher Cognition (Karius) Flashcards
What are the components of cognition
Language
Social cognition
Decision making
Executive functioning
- Forward planning
- Anticipation
- Reasoning
Memory
Visuospatial perception
Cognition requires extensive synaptic interactions between what type of cells?
Pyramidal cells of all neocrotical association areas
What is the systems that leads to spoken language
Language conceptual system –> language mediational system –> language implementation system –> spoken language
What structures are utilized in the language implementation system (final common pathway) for speaking?
Wernicke’s Area
Arcuate fasciculus
Broca’s Area
Facial area of the motor cortex
What structures compose the mediational system for language?
Temporal, parietal and frontal association areas
What is the function of the conceptional system for language?
Provides concepts of what you are trying to communicate
By what age can babies recognize all sounds that might be language?
6 months
When learning a second language after the language acquisition phase, what region is activated?
Area adjacent to Broca’s area
What is social cognition an important factor of?
Ability to function in interpersonal and social situations
What are the two components of social cognition?
Emotion Comprehension (recognition)
Theory of Mind
What observable information can you use to infer the emotional state of another person?
Prosody (speech)
Facial Expression
What part of the brain identifies faces and facial expressions?
Superior Temporal Sulcus
Fusiform gyrus
What parts of the brain adds in the emotional component when identifying facial expressions?
Amygdala (main)
What main part of the face is used to identify another person’s facial expression?
Eyes, Nose & Mouth (The triangle)
What system is possibly activated when looking at someone else’s face?
Mirror Neuron System
What structure controls the use of they eye and directs the gaze to the triangle that allows for emotional detection?
Amygdala
What input does the mirror neuron system need to imitate motions?
Visual input from the posterior sector of the superior temporal sulcus
What does the posterior mirror neuron system do?
Identifies motor action of observed individual (e.g are they smiling, kicking a ball, etc)
What does the anterior mirror neuron system do?
Identifies goal of motor action in observed individual (e.g why are they smiling, why kicking a ball, etc)
The circuit for imitating is believed to interact with limbic structures via ____.
insula
What is prosody?
Study of tune and rhythm of speech and how these features contribute to meaning
What brain region is required for the basics of sound processing, including identity of pitch, loudness, and other characteristics
Primary auditory cortex
What brain region pieces together the meaning of pitch, loudness, and other characteristics (Ex: mom calling for you for dinner vs something bad)
Right posterior superior temporal sulcus
Where is judgment of emotional stimulus determined (Ex: is observed individual angry, mad, happy, sad, etc)
Frontal cortex
What are the steps of perception of prosody
- Primary Auditory cortex - Identifies pitch, loudness, and other characteristics of sound (hear mother calling name)
- Right posterior superior temporal sulcus - pieces together the meaning of loudness, pitch, etc. of volcalization (assumption of why she called name)
- Frontal Cortex - judges the emotional stimulus (determine why she called name)
What is the theory of mind?
Ability to understand the mental state of others (Why is that person thinking the way he/she is?) and to appreciate how these differ from our own
What structures are required for the theory of mind?
- Amygdala
- Medial Temporal Lobes (memory and sensory processing)
- Orbitofrontal regions (sensory and emotional processing)
- Accessory pathways
What are the functions of accessory pathways in the theory of mind?
Language: In young children, can be a scaffold for linguistic cues.
Executive Functioning
A decision in which the risks are known relies most heavily on what system
Stimulus Encoding system
A decision in which the risks are unknown rely most heavily on what system?
Expected reward system then switches to the Action selection system
What type of decision is the stimulus encoding system involved with?
Decision with known risks
Evaluates evidence available to make a decision and predicts the consequences of actions.
What structures are involved in the stimulus encoding system for decision making?
Orbitofrontal cortex
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
striatum
What type of decision is the Action selection system involved with?
Decisions with ambiguous risk
learns from mistakes, encodes results
What structure is involved in the action selection system for decision making?
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
What type of decision is the expected reward system involved with?
Decisions with ambiguous risk
Predicts expected reward
What structure is involved in the expected rewards system for decision making?
Amygdala
Basal Ganglia
Insular Cortex - processing of social emotions
Intraparietal Cortex - somatosensory processing of planning/intent
A decision in which the risks are explicit (known) relies most heavily on what
Stimulus Encoding System
Decisions in which the risks are unknown rely most heavily on what system
Expected reward system and eventually the Action Selection System
