Neuropsychology of executive functions

Question 1

What are the components of the single process model for Longterm memory?

Answer 1

Central executive
Visuospatial sketchpad
Phonological loop
Episodic buffer

Question 2

What is the function of the Supervisory Attentional System (SAS)?

Answer 2

The Supervisory Attentional System allows for inhibition of automatic responses and activation of the appropriate action schema in non-routine situations, through top-down control from a representation of the goal.

Question 3

What are action schemas within the Supervisory Attentional System?

Answer 3

Action schemas are proposed interconnected sets of ‘if..then’ rules, acting as programmes for the execution of routine behaviors. In routine situations, these schemas are activated automatically in response to the environment.

Question 4

Relevant processes are of the supervisory attentional system:

Answer 4

1. Top-down control (executive control) of action schemas, i.e. contention scheduling (goal-directed behaviour)
2. Monitoring of behaviour
3. Specification of a memory trace required for goal-directed behaviour (retrieval from memory)
4. Establishment of future intentions (goal planning, prospective memory)

Question 5

How are executive problems best explained according to the three functionally and anatomically separate systems of attentional control?

Answer 5

Executive problems are best explained as involving three separate systems:

1. Superior mesial for energizing (initiating/sustaining),
2. Left lateral for task setting, and
3. Right lateral for monitoring.

Question 6

What are the functions of the ventromedial/orbitofrontal?

Answer 6

Responsible for emotional and behavioral regulation.

Question 7

What are the functions of the frontopolar regions of the brain?

Answer 7

Involved in integrative/meta-cognitive functioning.

Question 8

How can lesions outside the frontal lobes affect executive function?

Answer 8

Lesions outside the frontal lobes may cause ‘disconnection’, while lesions remote from the frontal lobes (such as in the cerebellum) may result in deficits on executive tasks.

Question 9

What types of deficits do classical neuropsychological instruments typically detect?

Answer 9

Classical neuropsychological instruments typically detect the first set of deficits, which are dorsolaterally based, and not the second set of deficits associated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

Question 10

What is the Multi-store model of memory?

Answer 10

It suggests that memory is comprised of three stores: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). Information flows from sensory memory to STM through attention, and from STM to LTM through rehearsal. Retrieval involves the transfer of information from LTM back to STM.

Question 11

What are the characteristics of sensory memory?

Answer 11

-holds a large amount of incoming sensory information for only a few hundred milliseconds.

-captures inputs in a relatively unprocessed sensory form

Question 12

How is sensory memory organized?

Answer 12

There is thought to be a unique sensory store for each of the five senses.

Question 13

What happens to sensory information if it is not transferred to short-term memory?

Answer 13

lost very quickly

Question 14

What are the main areas of the brain involved in sensory memory processing?

Answer 14

Motor cortex (movement)
Gustatory cortex (taste)
Olfactory cortex (smell)
Auditory cortex (hearing)
Visual cortex (vision)
Sensory cortex (multimodal processing)

Question 15

What is the function of the short phonological loop in working memory?

Answer 15

responsible for the temporary storage and rehearsal of verbal and auditory information.

Question 16

What is the role of the visuospatial sketchpad in working memory?

Answer 16

involved in the temporary storage and manipulation of visual and spatial information.

Question 17

What is the function of the central executive in working memory?

Answer 17

acts as the supervisory system, directing attention and coordinating the activities of the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and episodic buffer.

Question 18

What is the function of the episodic buffer in working memory?

Answer 18

integrates information from the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and long-term memory to create a multimodal representation of ongoing events.

Question 19

Neuroanatomy of short-term or ‘working’ memory

Answer 19

Prefrontal cortex
Temporal cortex
Parietal cortex
Occipital cortex

Question 20

What are the types of explicit long-term memory?

Answer 20

1. semantic memory (memory of facts such as names and places)
2. episodic memory (memory of specific events such as holidays and birthdays)

Question 21

What are the types of implicit long-term memory?

Answer 21

1. procedural memory (memory of action sequences such as riding a bike or using a toothbrush)
2. emotional conditioning (memory of emotional responses such as fight or flight reactions and priming effects)

Question 22

What are the three types of memory?

Answer 22

sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Question 23

What part of the brain controls the central executive?

Answer 23

prefrontal cortex

Question 24

How are emotions involved in memory?

Answer 24

Emotions can significantly influence memory formation and retrieval. Emotional experiences tend to be more vividly remembered and are often stored in long-term memory more effectively than neutral experiences. The amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing emotions, plays a crucial role in this process by modulating memory consolidation and retrieval processes.

Question 25

What are the theories of forgetting associated with short-term/working memory?

Answer 25

Trace decay (verfall): Forgetting occurs due to the decay of memory traces over time.

Displacement: Forgetting occurs when new information pushes out or replaces old information in short-term memory.

Question 26

What are the theories of forgetting associated with long-term memory?

Answer 26

Interference: Forgetting occurs when new or old information interferes with the retrieval of other information.

Retrieval failure: Forgetting occurs due to the inability to retrieve stored information, often caused by inadequate retrieval cues.

Lack of consolidation: Forgetting occurs when memories are not properly consolidated or stored into long-term memory.