Prefrontal cortex B7

Question 1

Prefrontal cortex consists of what?

Answer 1

Medial prefrontal cortex:
-superior prefrontal cortex
cingulate gyrus
DOrsolateral prefrontal cortex:
-superior frontal gyri
-middle frontal gyri
-inferior frontal gyri
Orbitofrontal:
-Orbital gyri

Question 2

Maintaining focus and effort on one task, related to level of alertness. Dependent on Prefrontal/ Orbitofrontal Cortex, other subcortical and brainstem regions.

Answer 2

Sustained attention

Question 3

Selectively paying attention to some parts of environment and ignoring everything else. (ability to tune out irrelevant information).

Answer 3

Selective attention

Question 4

Where’s waldo? (finding family member or friend among crowd)

Answer 4

example of selective attention

Question 5

Listening to a friend’s voice while tuning out nearby strangers. OR
Listening to particular instruments during a song.

Answer 5

Selective attention

Question 6

Target/focus of selection of your attention changes between different types of stimuli.

Answer 6

Attentional “Set shifting”:

Question 7

If someone doesn’t do better with clue given then what is the problem?

Answer 7

Attentional set shifting: limiting attention to one aspect of sensory environment or switching between aspects… e.g. color vs. text

Question 8

When you are switching criteria… (from text to color on stroop test) what cortex are you using.

Answer 8

Orbitofrontal cortex

Flexibility

Question 9

Ability to hold information in mind during use for _____ to ______ (possibly _________.)

Answer 9

Short term or “working memory”

seconds to minutes (possibly hours)

Question 10

Short term or working memory is mediated by what?

Answer 10

prefrontal cortex (mainly dorsolateral prefrontal cortex)

Question 11

If you are testing working memory you are testing what part of brain?

Answer 11

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Question 12

Maintaining focus and effort on one task

Answer 12

Sustained attention (less understood)
-widespread projections

Question 13

Ritalin (methyphenidate) and adderol (amphetamines) which increase action of what?

Answer 13

norepinephrine and dopamine

Question 14

Cholinergic neurons from multiple subcortical regions have widespread projections targeting cerebral cortex, and limbic regions enhance both __________

Answer 14

sustained and selective attention

Question 15

Functions of orbitofrontal functions.

Answer 15

Emotional/ Motivational/ Behavioral functions

Question 16

Patient repeatedly says the same words… i.e. When asked who is president: answers trump… Then asked who won superbowl… Answers Trump…

Answer 16

Perseveration (think of persevering with their answers)

Question 17

Pt does not spontaneously produce speech and may be verbally unresponsive to questioning/ examination. This deficit is a motivational deficit, not a problem in language system.

Answer 17

Akinetic mutism

Question 18

This term derives from lack of ebullient mood/attitude. Lack of spontaneous behavior of any kind, delayed motor/verbal responses. (could potentially contribute this to a diagnosis of major depression)

Answer 18

Abulia

Question 19

What are some disorders involving impaired prefrontal develpoment?

Answer 19

Autism -emerges about 2 years of age

Schizophrenia- emerges in late adolescence, early adulthood