T3, Cognition and neurophysiology (Isabel Pavao-Martins) Flashcards
3 main parts of the brain?
- cerebral hemispheres
- Brainstem
- Cerebellum
What is cerebellum important for?
motor cordination
what is brainstem important for?
Centers that maintain basic body functions:
- automatic creating
- blood pressure
- heart rate control
what is cortex?
gray matter, neurons
What is the subconical region?
white matter, fibers and axons
how are neurons interconnected?
by synapses
Extreme growth of neurons and networks in what age? what is it called?
- the first two years
- Synaptogenesis
Describe brain development!
- Synaptogenesis
—> crazy growth of synapses & neurons - Neural prunning
—> not used synapses eliminates - Normal brain maturation
- Reorganizations
—> possible in adult brain
What are the two parallel distributed processing steams?
1. Ventral steam —> fastest —> "what"path —> preparation for observing —> mapping sound to meaning
2. Dorsal pathway —> "where" —> "preparation for action" —> spatial information —> mapping sound to articulation —> creating words
What is visual agnosia?
Bilateral damage to the ventral visual pathway
—> a ventral stem disorder
—> seeing without recognition
What processes are involved in visual recognition?
- retina
- Visual representation hierarchy
- Recognition units
- Modality independent meaning
—> naming
What is Prosopagnosias?
difficulty in recognizing faces
—> ventral pathway
what is environmental agnosia?
Difficulty in spatial navigation and recognition
- loss of orientation for places
- cannot recognize places or learn new places or
What is Alexia without agraphia?
Lost ability to read and understand letters
—> but still have the ability to write
What is spatial neglect and attention disorders?
People behave as if their left hemispace did not exist and could not be conceived any longer